factory farming facts

April 9, 2014. Forests are clear-cut for the cultivation of feed, causing a massive loss of biodiversity. [2] Manure can also contain traces of salt and heavy metals, which can end up in bodies of water and accumulate in the sediment, concentrating as they move up the food chain. The number of dairy cows on factory farms with more than 500-head rose 120.9 percent from 2.5 million cows in 1997 to 5.6 million in 2012. People living near factory farms often suffer from headaches, nausea, and respiratory distress due to the effects of factory pollution. The animals are not seen as an individual, sentient beings with unique physical and psychological needs but as eggs, milk, meat, leather, etc. 11. In the US, family farms are being wiped out because of factory farming, which has the capability to produce goods much more quickly and cheaply than traditional farming, thus becoming the obvious choice of large-scale companies and businesses. Large amounts of feed and water are required, leading to deforestation and soil erosion. Banana farm Facts about Farming 5: The factory pollution. The steady growth of factory farming in the developing world is by far the greatest threat to animals, both in terms of total numbers and aggregate suffering. Industrial agriculture is one of the most unsustainable practices of modern civilization. Factory Farms “Factory farm” is a term commonly used to describe an industrial facility that raises large numbers of farm animals such as pigs, chickens or cows in intensive confinement where their movements are extremely inhibited. This is due to its large-scale production and rapid profit. Factory farming cruelty facts reveal that 94% of Americans say they believe the animals bred for consumption shouldn’t suffer. The need to grow large amounts of high-energy feed leads to increasing deforestation and soil erosion; and the pollution of water, soil and air by agrochemicals and manure waste is already a huge concern. 13. These intensive systems put production above all else, creating vast quantities of seemingly cheap meat, milk and eggs. The number of dairy cows on factory farms doubled, and the average-sized dairy factory farm increased by half, between 1997 and 2012. 12. Over 10 billion land animals are killed for food every year, just in the United States alone. They are suffering in secret, behind closed doors and away from public view. Agriculture's $1.053 trillion contribution to the US economy is higher than the GDP of Indonesia Jim Young/Reuters. Shortly before giving birth, they … And sadly, these animals are exempted from animal cruelty laws that protect dogs and cats and other companion animals. Factory farming needs to stop, really. Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known by its opponents as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production, while minimizing costs. Gestation crates are so small that breeding sows can’t even turn around. It is ‘mechanicall… Factory farming sees animals as ‘products,’ ‘commodities’ for production and sale just like bricks o… The problem is- most people want cheap chicken, regardless of the cost. Specifically,55 square feet of … Foster Farms chicken may have infected and sickened more than 10,000 people due to this contamination. In factory farms, sensitive, intelligent animals are treated like mere production units, rather than thinking, feeling beings. Factory farming is unsustainable, with overcrowded farms overwhelming local ecosystems, leading to depletion of natural resources. Agriculture is the biggest contributor to climate change of all industries, with factory farming playing a big part. KFC has a huge stake in the market with more than 18,000 outlets in 115 countries; we want to see them use their global influence to show they care about the welfare of chickens.” Around 70 billion farm animals are now subject to factory farming… Factory farming accounts for 37% of methane (CH4) emissions, which has more than 20 times the global warming potential of CO2. Factory Farming. In every corner of the earth, it’s rivers and oceans have become polluted with animal waste. Factory Farming Facts Farmed Animals Not Protected Under Animal Cruelty Laws. Cow farmers followed suit. Read on for nine surprising facts about the US farming industry. The modern breeds of chicken who are raised for their 'meat' are the result of an intensive selective breeding process designed to make them grow extremely fast. Industrialized agriculture or factory farms, along with small farms, produce significant amounts of waste and are inextricably connected to the scale at which humans are able to raise billions of animals each year for food. 5% – 10% of hens are reported to die during the forced molting process. However, a growing number of experts and consumers believe that costs to the health and welfare of animals are simply too high.1 Every year, hundreds of millions of animals in Australia are confined in factory farms. In the 1970s, pig farmers succumbed to the mass production process and began shifting to factory farming. This is what factory farming means for chickens. Confinement to the point at which suffocation is commonplace is the … The meat produced by factory farming is cheap because it is of very low quality. In West Virginia and Maryland, male fish are growing ovaries, and scientists suspect that this is the result of factory-farm runoff from drug-laden chicken feces. With factory farming also comes industrial agriculture. In order to produce eggs and meat, factory-farmed animals endure physical pain, stress, fear, loneliness and chronic boredom. Raising animals for food also tears down a whole bunch of rain forest. The link between factory farming and increasing pandemic risk is well established scientifically, but the political will to curtail that risk has, in the past, been absent. “One of the myths is that it’s an efficient way of producing food when actually it is highly inefficient and wasteful. News about factory farming, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. [8] In 2012, U.S. farms and ranches spent $329 billion to produce $388 billion in goods. Factory farming, though not directly, is responsible for deforestation and draining of wetlands. Around 260 million acres of forests in the US have been cut down to produce food for farm animals. Factory farming may encourage animal diseases to mutate to human diseases. They are then sent to slaughter. 97% of the 10 billion animals tortured and killed each year are farm animals. Modern animal agriculture has a pronounced impact on natural resources like land, water, and fossil fuel. Small and medium-sized farms raising food animals have been pushed out by factory farms housing thousands of animals in crowded spaces. A factory farm (only) needs to have 500 beef cattle, 500 dairy cows, sell 500,000 chickens annually or house 100,00 egg-laying chickens (Factory Farm Nation 2015). Factory farmed chicken is often tainted with fecal residues as well as E. coli and arsenic. Millions of people are exposed to pathogens such as Salmonella and avian influenza each year. Factory farming pumps out huge volumes of cheap meat. It can have a negative impact on the environment. Factory farming is very cruel. So fast, in fact, that chicks grow up so quickly they reach 'slaughter weight' when they're only 5-8 weeks old — still chirping like the babies they are. There are many animals in the factory farms such as pigs, chickens, and cows. REVEALED: 9 Frightening Facts about Factory Farming. Factory farming also creates nitrate pollution; it’s bad for pigs and for our planet. Factory farming is an industrial process in which animals and the products they generate are mass produced. Although we are making some progress in the U.S. due to the steadfast efforts of animal advocates and a slowly awakening public, worldwide the factory farming story grows steadily more desperate. Two large threats that come out of factory farming are swine influenza and bird influenza. But factory farming comes at a cost. Today, roughly 94% of all animals farmed for human consumption are raised on factory farms. During the mass farming of crops like wheat and soy, pesticides and insecticides are heavily used. To maintain a steady supply of milk, these cows are forced to give birth every year for about three to four years until they are no longer able to produce enough milk to make them financially justifiable to the dairy industry. This type of farming operation is often referred to as a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation or CAFO. 5. It can cause respiratory distress, nausea, and headaches. Factory farming fuels the climate emergency, with the massive amount of greenhouse gases it releases. Factory farming is the modern practice of raising animals for food in extreme confinement, in order to maximize profits. Facts about Farming 6: The cleanest animals in the farms (Goat) Sometimes, bad smell spread around there and make pollution in the factory. The waste from factory farming is reported to have polluted the groundwater in 17 states, and an unbelievable 35,000 miles of water bodies in 22 states. 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Steve McIvor continues: “ We need to expose the woefully poor conditions that many chickens!

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