When you go out to dinner and order a hamburger, have you ever thought about the quality of the life of the cow that you are eating? According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 9 billion animals are killed in factory farms every year, and the Sentience Institute estimates that 99% of animal products in the US come from factory farms. Many of these creatures live their entire lives in tiny crates, receiving little to no care and as much food as their bodies can hold. When their time is up, they’re sent to cruel and inhumane slaughterhouses.
Factory farming began in the mid 20th Century, to keep up with the increasing demand for meat. However, in the process of making that meat cheaper and more easily accessible, we have lost sight of the fact that animals are sentient beings -- they want to avoid harm and stay alive. Today, factory farms are essentially giant warehouses designed to produce and kill the maximum number of livestock they can, under controlled conditions and using harmful methods. Animals in this industry are not seen as intelligent organisms; they are seen as a product that will make companies money. The entire system is designed to maximize production while minimizing costs. Factory farms are brutal and inhumane places for animals.
In most factory farms, animals live in tight cages and packed pens. They receive minimal medical care if any, and according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s statistical service, roughly 10 percent of the livestock die before even reaching the slaughterhouse. No matter the animal, chances are that in most large factory farms, they will be mistreated.
Chickens raised for meat are forced to grow so large that oftentimes, their legs can’t support them. To force them to eat and fatten faster, bright lights shine almost 24/7 so that they stay awake. The ends of egg-laying hens’ beaks are cut or burned off to prevent them from pecking each other out of boredom or the frustration of being crammed together.
Cows raised for beef usually live in barren pastures with many other cattle, typically without shelter. Practices like branding and castration often cause them pain and discomfort.
Dairy cows produce an unnaturally large amount of milk because of how often they are milked, and hormones are sometimes administrated to create even higher milk production rates. These cows are artificially inseminated once a year so they keep producing milk, and once they give birth their calves are taken away from them, which causes extreme stress for both creatures. The female calves are the next dairy cows, and the male calves are killed when they are young, to produce veal. When dairy cows have passed their prime, they are killed. Cows also usually have most of their horns removed to prevent them from injuring each other, but this process is often administrated without painkillers.
Pigs are stuffed into crates so small that they can’t turn around. Because they are highly intelligent creatures, their stark surroundings can cause abnormal behaviors like chewing on their tails. This can lead to infection, so workers sometimes cut off the tail, or pull a pig’s teeth, usually without painkillers. Sows are moved between their gestation stalls and farrowing crates to give birth, both of which are small and restricting.
Turkeys are forced to grow so big so fast that they experience pain, as well as difficulty walking and breathing. Because they have been bred to grow so unnaturally large, turkeys cannot physically mate anymore. The females face year-round artificial insemination, even though turkeys are only meant to reproduce once a year.
Many fish meant for food are raised in overcrowded farms. There are very few regulations on fish farming. Because fish are often not seen as the sentient beings that they are, they usually aren’t stunned before they are killed. They are bled out, suffocated, frozen, or killed with blunt force.
While animals raised in factory farms live in extreme confinement and often spend their entire lives indoors, livestock living on smaller sustainable or family-run farms spend much more time outdoors and on pastures where they can roam freely and carry out natural behaviors. Sustainably run farms are able to treat animals more humanely, which is often easier with smaller numbers of animals.
But the treatment of animals isn't the only issue with industrial farming. A comparison of the many differences between sustainable farms and factory farms follows:
So what can you do about it?
- Shopping carefully in grocery stores is a good place to start. This link will take you to a page on the Animal Welfare Institute's website that lists out what labels to look for when trying to make better food choices, as well as which labels are meaningless or deceptive.
- You can also start buying from sustainable or family-run farms. If you are having trouble finding locally run farms, you can go to either localharvest.org or eatwild.com. These websites connect you with local farmers. You can search your location, and the websites will direct you to farms and farmers markets near you. It is important to keep in mind that food from sustainable farms is often more expensive than food from factory farms, because there is a cost to treating animals and the environment well.
- A third option is to simply eat less meat altogether. You can try going vegetarian or vegan for short periods or cut down the number of times that you eat meat each week.
- You can also sign petitions, donate to organizations working against the factory farming industry, and simply spread awareness around this issue.
Everyone can chose the impact they want to have. This may not be an issue that you want or are able to change your eating habits for. You may simply enjoy meat too much to give it up completely. You might also not have easy access to sustainable farms, or the resources to shop from them. But I hope that, at the very least, you keep this information in mind the next time you go out to dinner and order a hamburger.