Factory Farming is Inhumane
Those not involved in the meat industry are intentionally left in the dark with little exposure to the tens of billions of animals dying each year without it being public knowledge. Chickens have to stand in their own feces all day, where they get rashes from the manure. Hens, which don't have enough room to lift a single wing, are subjected to a process where they're denied food and water until they start to lose their feathers to start a new laying cycle (though the meat industry claims animals have to be healthy to reproduce like they do, they're starving them for the results) (Sinlong).
Hens are killed after only living a year of life, because they won't lay as many eggs their second year of life. This is because it's cheaper to breed new hens than feed and pay the cost of sustaining life for a less productive hens (Mercola). Farm animals are often subject to painful procedures, and it appears that they may be sensitive when the procedures take place. They are supposed to be unconscious, but a worker has stated that he has had many conscious animals reach his station every day. Other reporters have admitted to cutting into live cows (which is violating the Human Slaughter Act). Workers in charge of rendering the animals unconscious claim the line moves too fast, so they can't do their job properly. The USDA has been noted of relaxing its oversight of these farms and does not track violation of acts in place to protect animals. One records review, though, found 527 violations in one year. In this report, it includes incidents of live animals being cut, skinned, or scalded (Foer). It is common practice to put animals under painful procedures. Hens often have their beaks burned off to prevent behavior that comes from living in crowded spaces. Pigs, which are kept in small pens, can quite literally go mad with boredom. They sometimes resort to biting each other's tails, because of their natural desire to chew, which can cause damage to the other pig. Because of this, the industry can cut off their tails as babies, instead of making the pigs environment more mentally satisfying. A physician, Joseph Mercola, attempts to explain why Pork Producers council defense is ridiculous. They defended themselves by saying they have "modern" barns to protect animals, but this just means pigs never get to see the light of day, living in their own feces with uncontrolled illness, and the predators of the animals have been saved from have been transformed into abusive farmers. Eating pig meat may contribute to liver disease more than alcohol (though these studies are questionable). Yet other studies show a relation between pork consumption and lower cancer as well as multiple sclerosis. It appears that the differences in studies are the way pig meat is raised, not because pig meat is inherently bad (Mercola). |