What is the process of Factory Farming?
Factory Farming Process
Factory Farming is an industrial process in which animals are mass-produced for profit.
Mass Production
The mass production is the process of placing millions of animals into enclosed cages.
Animals are seen for what they can provide for profit.
Animals are seen as commodities..
- their skin- leather
- their flesh- meat
- their breast- milk
Companies involved
Tyson, JBS, Cargill, Purdue, Smithfield and many more
Tyson Foods
Decreased water intensity by 2.96 percent compared to FY2015 baseline
31 billion gallons of water enter Tyson facilities annually, and the majority is returned to surface waters of the U.S. through 36 full-treatment and 49 pre-treatment wastewater treatment centers.
The use of current technology and reclamation systems is used to conserve and reuse wastewater
Gained acceptance by the Science-Based Targets initiative for a target to reduce our GHG emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
CONS of Factory Farming
Water pollution-Factory Farms livestock produce 1 billion tons of waste annually including high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the United States alone.This waste directly impacts the quality of water in about 145,000 miles of natural flowing freshwater lakes and streams, about 1 million acres of lakes and ponds, and more than 3,000 square miles of bays.
- Water pollution is one of the main catastrophes of improperly controlled waste storage and disposal from massive meat producing factory farms.
- This also causes local cities and communities to be at risk for their access to clean water.
- The Human Right to Water- is formally recognized by the United Nations in 2010, clearly states that it is the responsibility of each company to control their facility and ensure their operations do not impose upon the right of people to sufficient, safe, acceptable and physically accessible and economical water.
Health involved -pesticides and antibiotics CAFOs (Factory Farms serve as breeding grounds for disease not just among animals, but also the farm workers and the rest of us people in surrounding areas. When you feed large quantities of livestock continuous, low-dose antibiotics, it creates an environment conducive to widespread disease propagation. This means that people and animals become more vulnerable to disease because of the antibiotics that are fed to these Factory Farm animals, which weakens the strength of the immune system.
The hormones and antibiotics such as Tylosin, a widely used antibiotic for disease treatment and growth promotion in pigs, cattle, and poultry production. Tylosin quickly decays in the environment, but can still be found in surface waters of agricultural watersheds. Metals such as copper and zinc are added as micronutrients
- Antibiotic - The use of antibiotics is worrisome to say the least.The consistent use of antibiotics promotes the growth of super bacteria, which is medicine resistant disease.
- There are countless resistant pathogens today but one resilient killer is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which has been responsible for more than 94,000 infections and 18,000 deaths in the US annually.
- In the US, we have some of the most advanced medicine and best physicians in the world yet we can’t figure out how to defeat these super bacteria.
- Your lettuce may even contain antibiotics. The lesser known antibiotic resistant pathogens are growing in manure, and are used as fertilizer for crops such as lettuce. So these antibiotics can be found in some non organic salads.
- Raising tens of thousands of animals in one facility transcribes to loads of waste. Livestock manure is typically regarded as an important fertilizer when produced on a much smaller cleaner scale, but it has become one of the most polluting substances in the country due to mass production. When this waste is produced in massive quantities, it becomes hazardous.
- The annual production of manure due to CAFO's triples the amount produced by humans.
- Here is what’s odd, Federal Legislation doesn’t permit animal waste to be labeled as hazardous waste.
Environmental Effects of Factory Farming
The five major companies throughout the world produce a combined 162,936,695 tons of manure every year
Testing of 187 samples showed high fecal indicator bacteria concentrations at both up- and downstream sites
Factory Farms are some of the largest contributors to water pollution, dumping more toxic pollutants into waterways annually from their processing plants, by volume, than companies like ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical.
Typically stored in massive “lagoons,” the waste often converts to rivers of waste that flow from CAFOs to the surrounding environment. This infographic will show you specific cases of environmental pollution and damage brought about by waste from factory farms.
The Clean Water Act is a U.S. federal law that regulates the discharge of pollutants into the nation's surface waters, including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and coastal areas. Passed in 1972 and amended in 1977 and 1987, the Clean Water Act was originally known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Eat lest processed foods
This reduced consumer spending which can reduce government subsidies
Support Small and Local farms
- Less animals = less waste
- Ethically maintained
- Organically Raised, Drug-Free, Grass-Fed or Pastured Animal Products
Buy more organic, natural foods and incorporate a vegan day into your diet
Works Cited
Good, K. “These 10 Shocking Facts On Factory Farms and Water Pollution Will Make You Rethink That Burger.” One Green Planet, 2017, https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/shocking-facts-on-how-factory-farms-cause-water-pollution/.
Devine, J, and V Baron. “CAFOs: What We Don’t Know Is Hurting Us.” Natural Resource Defense Council, Sept. 2019, https://www.nrdc.org/resources/cafos-what-we-dont-know-hurting-us.
Inc, "Clean Water Act", https://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/clean-water-act.html
https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/livestock-water-use?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
Geiling, N. “5 Big Meat Companies Produce A Combined 162 Million Tons Of Manure Each Year.” Think Progress, June 2016, https://thinkprogress.org/5-big-meat-companies-produce-a-combined-162-million-tons-of-manure-each-year-c3acced8f51e/.
Credits:
Created with an image by Michel Stockman - "untitled image"