Running Head: EFEFCTS OF INDUSTRIAL ANIMAL FARMS

Effects of Industrial Animal Farms on Humans

and the Environment and Animal Cruelty
Jessica OConner
Ivy Tech community College
November 3, 2015

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Effects of Industrial Animal Farms on Humans and the Environment and Animal Cruelty
In Todays society most Americans eat meat with almost every meal. Americans consume
considerably more than any other nation. For this reason we have large factory farms to keep up
with our large demand for meat. Small sustainable farms are becoming a thing of the past. But
have you ever wondered how these massive animals farms are operating? How are the animals
being treated, and what is in the meat we are eating? These giant animal farms are ruining our
health and the environment. People need to become more aware of what is happening in these
large animal facilities in order for change to happen.
Most Americans do not know where their food is coming from. Over the past five
decades animal factory farms have grown into what they are today. The cattle at these large
factories are fed corns and grains rather than their normal diet of grass and they are given
hormones and antibiotics. This is so they can grow faster and bigger. The hormones and
antibiotics residues are left behind in the meat that we eat and in our environment which is
causing a chain reaction in the microbial world (Pollan, 2012). They feed the animals antibiotics
for sickness that they would not have gotten in the first place if they were fed the correct diet.
The use of so many antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance which can cause diseases that the
animals bodies learn to resist but us humans will not have this resistance (Pollan, 2012).
According to Metzen if antibiotics were banned from cattle feed then they would have to feed the

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cattle less so that they do not get sick and the result would be raised prices of beef because it
would not be as abundant as it is now, yet it would be healthier for us and for the animals. A calf
will put on 200 pounds of meat and fat in less than a year and their fatty flesh rich in a corn diet
is effecting the health of anyone eating it. The antibiotics will cause a resistance to drugs we
depend upon, over time (Pollan, 2012).
While pastoralists and small live breeders have traditionally bred their animals to
resister certain diseases or to survive in hot climates, commercial breeders select for
traits that will earn them the most money, including the ability of animals to gain weight
quickly, produce more milk, or, in the case of poultry, to have meatier breasts and more
white meat. These commercial breeds are rarely allowed to mate naturally; instead,
producers artificially inseminate animals and even import sperm to maintain complete
control over their flocks and herds (Nierenberg, 2005).
According to Happier Meals author Danielle Nierenberg this threat of diversity to the animals
causes problems not only for the animals but for the farmers. These animals will not be able to
adapt to their changing environment, such as climate, pests, and disease. She points out that since
meat is a globalized product with meat being shipped all around the world diseases like avian flu,
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and foot-and-mouth can become a global epidemic.
These concentrated animal feeding operations have ideal conditions for the spread of diseases.
The farms are so massive it is hard to monitor every animal and disease can spread quickly from
animal to human. When animals in these giant farms become resistant to antibiotics, which is
inevitable, when humans get sick from eating these animals the antibiotics will not work for us
(Nierenberg, 2005). This is a serious concern for our health that can potentially affect people all
over the world.

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These large farms are seen as livestock facilities and not as industrial farms which clearly
they are. They fit the description of a livestock facility according to the state and federal
agencies. This in return helps the owners and managers of these industrial farms by giving them
tax breaks and exemptions from numerous environmental laws (Midkiff, 2004). CEO of
Smithfield Foods, Joe Luter, considers himself a farmer yet lives in a condo on Park Avenue in
New York city says Midkiff. Many Attempts to change the description of a livestock facility to
differentiate between an industrial farm have failed (Midkiff, 2004).
Many animals would never survive in the conditions that cows, pigs, and chickens are
forced to live in. Many would say that the adaptability of these animals to survive within these
environments is very unfortunate for them (Johnson, 1991). Just because they can survive,
reproduce and produce a sufficient amount of product does not mean they are happy with their
living conditions. It doesnt show their happy, any more than a womens periods shows shes
happy; its just the way theyre made (Johnson, 1991).
The large amount of meat people are eating is causing health problems. Animal fats have
been said to cause heart disease and now we have more proof that high animal fat diets are
indeed causing heart disease (Johnson, 1991). A Report by the Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine shows that many people are falling for a low carb diet but it can have
some long terms effects on their health by eating too much protein and not enough carbohydrates
from fruits and vegetables. Some people are complaining about constipation from too much meat
and lack of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are in plants, like vegetables, fruits, and grains.
Without carbohydrates people will not get the fiber they need to stay regular and avoid
constipation. Many people experience loss of energy. This makes a lot of sense considering that
the body needs carbohydrates to make energy. Muscles need glucose to contract. The brain needs

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this energy just as much as the muscles need it. So no getting enough carbohydrates would
definitely cause fatigue. This also applies to difficulty concentrating and feeling of light
headedness experienced on high-protein, low-carb diets. Studies have shown that many people
by the age of 40 have kidney problems and a diet rich in protein is only speeding up the
deterioration of their kidneys. It also is a major cause for kidney stones. These diets are high in
cholesterol so it is no wonder that it is having adverse effects on the heart, such as, heart disease
and coronary heart disease. The effects on high-protein diets on the heart have been studied for
over 20 years. Other side effects people experience are gallbladder problems, diabetes, and
cancer. The most common cancer associated with high-protein low carb diets is colon cancer,
which can be hard to detect and very dangerous.
In the state of California during the 2008 election many people went to the polls to share
their opinions on the welfare of animals (Tomaselli and Niles, 2010). The ballot included
proposition 2, a state wide referendum poised to ban veal crates, battery cages for egg laying
hens, and gestation crates for pigs by mandating that animals have a sufficient space to lie down,
stand up, fully extend their limbs, and turn around freely ( Tomaselli and Niles, 2010). While
this is a victory and a step towards the humane treatment of animals, if the state legislature would
enforce its laws and regulations to pay for their environmental costs and the agencies for fully
funded to regulate factory farms something like Proposition 2 would be unnecessary. Before
Californias Proposition 2 imitative, Florida, Arizona, and Oregon had banned pig gestation
crates and Arizona and Colorado had banned veal crates. This are all notable steps towards a
nationwide reform in animal cruelty (Tomaselli and Niles, 2010).
Many concentrated animal feeding facilities get around laws that have been placed to
help the environment and animal welfare. There are loopholes they use to not have to have

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permits and take responsibility for their waste (Tomaselli and Niles, 2010). Regulation of farm
animal welfare at a federal level is almost nonexistent in the United States. The Animal Welfare
Act, the most notable federal legislation, protects animals only as instruments of interstate
commerce and entirely excludes factory farm animals and fish (Tomaselli and Niles, 2010).
Because of this legislation farming animals are being treated in ways that would be considered
torture if committed on a domestic animal (Tomaselli and Niles 2010). Countries like Norway
and Sweden have successfully banned beak clipping and burning. They now require a
veterinarian to do the procedure. The United Kingdom requires that animals must have sufficient
food, water, and light. European countries are making significant progress on the use of
antibiotics and growth hormones. There are restrictions on when antibiotics and growth
hormones can be used. In Denmark they banned the use of antibiotic growth promoters in pigs
and chickens. It caused significant decline in antibiotic resistance in pork and chicken. The
antibiotic resistance dropped from 60-80 percent to 5-35 percent. Overall the Danish ban caused
a 50% decline in antibiotic use and a 43 percent increase of productivity (Tomaselli and Niles,
2010). Most nations in then EU are phasing out unnecessary cruelty of animals and passing laws
to protect not only the animals but our environment. Many people in these countries are
concerned about the treatment of animals and laws are being passed to fix it (Tomaselli and
Niles, 2010). The United States could look to these countries for ideas and ways to reform our
own system. These farms have polluting our water systems and our air. Some recommendations
on how to reinforce existing environmental laws include, developing a federal approach to deal
with air pollution under the Clean Air Act, requiring all factory farms to treat sewage, giving
appropriate funds to monitor and track water and air emissions from the farms for a national

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database, and enacting legislation and regulations on greenhouse gas emissions (Tomaselli and
Niles, 2010).
Greenhouse gases (GHG) are made up of natural and human-made gases. Both natural
and human-made gases in large quantities are whats causing the greenhouse house effect and
global warming. Global warming causes more extreme weather changes, such as flooding and
droughts and causes the melting of Arctic ice. These changes in climate and temperature are
resulting in a loss of plant and animal biodiversity (Humane Society, 2007). According to the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CAFOs account for 9% of
human-induced emissions of carbon dioxide, 37% of emissions of methane, and 65% of
emissions of nitrous oxide. They have also shown that methane has 20 times the global warming
potential of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide has 300 times the global warming potential of
Carbon dioxide. CAFOs are contributing directly to global warming by releasing large amounts
of GHG in out atmosphere. CAFOs release more GHG than the entire global transportation
industry. There are indirectly contributing to global warming by their huge impact on
deforestation, which releases carbon dioxide in to the air, and by releasing nitrous oxide from
fertilizers used to grow genetically modified food, such as corn and soy to feed the animals
(Cummins, 2013). CAFOs are ruining the environment and atmosphere both directly and
indirectly at a rapid rate.
Most people would prefer to go on about their lives and not think about all the
detrimental effects of these huge corporate industries that animal farms have become. Pigs,
chickens, cattle, dairy cows, and other farm animals are treated in ways that are extremely
inhumane. They are forced to stand all day and are not allowed the freedom to live how they
would naturally live. They are fed a fatty unnatural diet that results in them needing large

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amounts of antibiotics, which in return effects the health of people who eat their meat. The
antibiotics that are consumed through the meat will lower resistance to the antibiotics that people
need. They will eventually stop working. Not only are the animals treated inhumanely, and
pumped with excessive antibiotics, but all the waste they create is taking its toll on the
environment. The greenhouse gases that are released should be recorded and monitored just like
carbon dioxide from transportation. Global warming is a serious threat to our planet and we
should not ignore something that is a major cause of greenhouse gases. Humans in industrial and
developing countries consume considerably more meat than they did only 50 years ago. Not only
is this large consumption of meat and animal products fueling these huge industrial animal farms
by increasing the demand, but it is always effecting our health in numerous ways. Studies have
shown that a diet high in protein and animal fat but low in carbohydrates is causing major health
problems. What is the solution? Eat less meat with our meals and check where it came from (did
it come from a corporate animal farm or was it from a sustainable humane farm?). We must ask
questions about where our food comes from and how it is produced so that we can start to fix the
problem. One step at a time we can help end this senseless mistreatment of animals and protect
and preserve our beautiful planet.