Hello, everyone! It’s been quite a long time since I last posted (over a month!) but I am finally returning with another civic issues post regarding the environment. Previously, I discussed human overpopulation, which included various policy reform proposals and the detrimental effects of too many people living in the world. This week, I will discuss intensive animal farming and how animals are treated poorly and inhumane in order to increase agricultural production.

How is intensive animal farming defined and what does it entail?

Intensive animal farming is the practice used by farmers and revolves around maximizing the output of livestock food such as meat, eggs, and milk, while also minimizing the overall cost of production. Intensive animal farming is often referred to as industrial livestock production or factory farming because the practice generally involves the keeping of livestock in high density areas. For example, below is a picture of cattle that are involved in intensive animal farming. The cattle are kept in small, closed quarters to the point where their heads are coming out of the fence enclosing the structure.

When exactly did intensive animal farming begin, what does it look like today, and why is it considered morally wrong?

Before 1965, family farms were the primary way that chickens were raised. During this time, chickens were raised for eggs rather than meat. Chicken was always considered a “specialty dish” that was served on holidays or celebrations. Farmers were unable to keep chickens in confinement during the winter due to a lack of vitamin D, which is found in sunlight. Thus, people did not consume chicken to the extent that they do today because it remained such a hot commodity. Although, once researchers discovered vitamin D, farmers realized that they could keep chickens in confinement year-round. Thus, companies began to mass-produce chickens and other animals they could raise year-round. Family farms began to run out of business and factory farms took over the industry. As concerns increased over red meat such as the cholesterol content, people began consuming chicken more. As the demand for chicken skyrocketed, conditions of the habitats where chickens were raised plummeted. Not only were the conditions inhumane but to human standards, they were considered uninhabitable.

This issue hits close-to-home with me. When I was in tenth grade, I watched a documentary entitled Food Inc. in health class. In the documentary, they discussed intensive animal farming, particularly chicken farming. It showed the true horrors of chicken farms and how the small number of people who own family farms are negatively affected by the large corporations such as Perdue who mass-produce chickens. Perdue has been slammed in the past for animal cruelty and false advertising about the way they raise and produce their chickens. Below is a picture of a Perdue chicken farm in North Carolina. Clearly, there is no room for the chickens to walk and the chickens appear oversized.

Large intensive animal farming corporations also ensured that their chickens would increase in size in order to increase the amount of meat that the chicken provides. Below is a graphic showing the relative size and weight of chickens from 1957-2005. Clearly, chickens are raised to be large solely because their meat is in demand to feed humans and are not fit to live when they are such a large size. 

Not only have chickens increased in size but their nutritional modes have hit rock bottom. Many chickens often take part in cannibalism as they have insufficient food but a vast need for energy. This usually results in chickens possessing the inability to walk or even stand up. Food Inc. highlights that chickens can only walk a few inches before flopping down because they weigh so much and cannot support their own weight. Chickens are also treated like objects in these facilities and often brought to slaughterhouses for painful mass-killings. In addition, many chickens expunge their energy quickly and tend to throw up uncontrollably. To make matters worse, the other chickens are starving and view the vomit as a source of energy and consume the throw up. This brings about an issue of health for the human consuming the chicken as well. The consumer is essentially eating metabolized throw-up from chickens raised through irrational practices.

After learning about the history of intensive animal farming, specifically with chickens, in my health class, I decided to take a stand and refuse to eat chicken. It has been over three years since I’ve eaten chicken and I do not plan to eat it for a long time unless reform comes about.

What policies can be put into place to ensure change and reform?

There are several policies that can be put into place to put an end to the inhumane practices of intensive animal farming. Although many people believe that we are able to use intensive animal farming due to “survival of the fittest”, animals cannot be raised in such horrid conditions and treated as objects based on moral standards. One main way to prevent this practice from continuing is to place a fire hazard capacity on places that raise chickens, have people monitor the farms, and to have slaughterhouses solely kill the chickens in the least painful way possible. There is obviously a dire need for food in the ever-growing population of the world; however, at some point, the fact that we must care for other animals besides ourselves must convey. Animals are not objects and their well-being must be accounted for.