Water is delivered automatically, and waste is removed by mechanical… As factory farming increased in popularity, all farmers have chosen to keep the animals indoors. Factory farming is the top cause of water wastage in the US. Factory farming accounts for 37% of methane (CH4) emissions, which has more than 20 times the global warming potential of CO2. But these packages likely have drastically different backstories. Animals in crowded houses lack access to the outdoors, the space to move, or freedom to perform their natural behaviors such as grazing, pecking or rooting. Ninety-nine percent of the meat in the US comes from factory farms, a large-scale production that is more akin to a cracker factory than the rolling, green livestock farms you see in the movies. This agricultural technique was invented by scientists in the 1960s in an effort to maximize efficiency and production so that farms could manage a growing population and higher demand for meat. It can cause respiratory distress, nausea, and headaches. However, farmers sent many dairy cows to slaughter before they reach the age of five. Factory Farming. Factory Farming Facts 1.Mutilation. In what follows, we will provide a list of factory farming facts that will make everyone rethink their choice in food from now on. The facts that they have discovered were terrifying. Factory farming is the practice of raising animals in high density situations to produce the highest output at the lowest possible cost. 40 billion of these are raised in huge, crowded sheds, or... Chicken is one of the world’s most popular meats. The USDA indicates that farmers raised and killed for consumption about 36.8 million pounds of broiler chicken in 2013. In this way, they could prevent them from pecking one another. However, as factory farms learned how to breed certain types of cows to produce more milk, those lines became sharper. According to the United States Department of Agriculture 36.8 BILLION pounds of chicken were raised and slaughtered for consumption in 2013 alone (2.) Sometimes, bad smell spread around there and make pollution in the factory. Factory farming is defined as the extreme confinement of livestock for commercial use. Due to the fact that farmers raise the fowls in limited space, close quarters, many farm operators decided to burn off or cut off the beaks of ducks, turkeys, and chickens. A standard factory farm cows, pigs and chickens live in cramped and insanitary conditions. Hopefully, these facts would discourage people from consuming meat, choosing for a healthy diet. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. – Compassion in World Farming. She bends down to pig eye level so as not to frighten the animal. The common living space of over 90% of egg-laying hens in America consists in battery cages. The USDA indicates that farmers raised... 2.The use of antibiotics. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Furthermore, farm workers keep the calves in total darkness. For instance, back in 2011, over 80% of all the antibiotics produced were fed to livestock. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. The result being horrible living conditions for the animals. My goal is to educate others about this great planet, and the ways we can help to protect it. This was not the best practice they could use since any disease could have spread more rapidly. Many people do not know that most antibiotics in the world are in the meat we consume. It’s time to ban factory farms.NOTE: If you are looking for our Factory Farm Map, it is currently offline while we update data to reflect the most recent research. The majority of chickens raised on factory farms have their beaks cut off. Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur / Essere Animali. Naturally, cows can live to approximately twenty years old. Copyright 2018 by Green and Growing. Approximately 9 billion chickens are killed for their meat every year, while another 300 million chickens are used in egg production. News about factory farming, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. All birds—meat chickens, egg-laying hens, turkeys, ducks, geese and others—are excluded from all federal animal protection laws. Farmers force them to wear heavy chains to prevent them from becoming extremely active in their stalls. However, farmers administered most of these treatments to specifically trigger rapid growth. All rights reserved. They have discovered that, on the day they hatch, farmers put millions of chicks on a conveyor belt, sending them to a grinder. Factory farming facts could help people understand the disadvantages of farming, learning more about how these animals are being treated. Even if scientists claim that this does not cause too much pain for the animals, many of them die due to this ordeal. Over 37 percent of methane emissions result from factory farming. Many fowls are being “debeaked” to prevent cannibalism in farms. The factory farming industry strives to maximize output while minimizing costs—always at the animals’ expense. A computerized feed bin mixes the feed and delivers it automatically to the cages. Many people do not know that most antibiotics in the world are in the meat we consume. In order to facilitate worker comfort or due to health reasons, farm workers emasculate, burning or constricting their tails with an elastic band. Maybe it will even convince some people to go green and change their diets in a vegan or vegetarian one. Today, there are about 2 million farms in operation in the US, a steep decline from 1935, when the number of farms peaked at nearly 7 million. Although many individual farmers follow humane practices, these large-scale operations not only cause severe distress for the animals that live there, but create a product that is riddled with chemicals, antibiotics, and yes, sometimes disease. Around 60 billion chickens are reared for meat each year. Many fowls are being “debeaked” to prevent cannibalism in farms. ©2020 Verizon Media. If it has livestock, it generally has several thousand animals confined in the same area. A variety of controversies have seriously eroded public trust in American agriculture. Most live short miserable lives in overcrowded factory farms, which are a breeding ground for disease, including emerging pathogens and virulent strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Methane has a global warming potential 20 times higher than carbon dioxide. 65 percent of all hogs tested had pneumonia-like lesions on their lungs. Then is when farmers discovered that they could add vitamins to animal feed, especially vitamin A and D. These vitamins which were added to feed indicated that farmers were no longer forced to expose the animals to sunlight outdoors in order to grow. However, it did not matter to them that they produced unhealthy animals. Factory farming is an unsustainable method of raising food animals that concentrates large numbers of animals into confined spaces. -  Designed by Thrive Themes more than 80 percent of antibiotics produced were fed to livestock. A factory farm produces huge volumes of food through industrial means. After living in these crates for a four-month pregnancy, sows often suffer from ulcers, sores and abscesses. The best way to save animals from the misery of factory farming is to stop or reduce your … Horses Are … Since they have all started using antibiotics to prevent diseases among animals, farmers were still able to increase their productivity. Exploring the Difference Between Vegan and Vegetarian, 15 Indoor Gardening Ideas to Grow Your Own Food, Food Companies Are Severely Affected by Climate Change, 9 Urban Vegetable Garden Ideas to Eat More Healthy at Home. In this way, antibiotics in factory farms gained its popularity. Conditions on Factory Farms. “Factory farming is shrouded in mythology,” he said. Fowl Are Often "Debeaked" To Avoid Cannibalism, Most Antibiotics In The World Go Straight Into Your Meat, Pneumonia Runs Rampant In Factory Farmed Pigs, Millions Of Chicks Are Ground Up Alive The Day They Hatch, Many Cows Die Before Their Fifth Birthday, Pregnant Hogs Live In Disgustingly Small Crates, Veal Calves Are Saddled With Heavy Chains, Many Fowl Are Stuffed Into Unimaginably Small Cages, "Battery cages," the common living space for more than 90 percent of egg-laying hens in America, provide as little, 82% Of U.S. Dairies Practice 'Tail Docking', Citing health reasons and worker comfort, a majority of U.S. farms practice, The best recipes, kitchen tips and genius food facts. 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. Recipes and more delivered to your inbox! They prefer to live in groups of 30 in well-defined pecking orders, and they can recognize their flock mates and bond through communal activities like dust baths and prowling pastures in pursuit of bugs. Factory farms dominate the meat industry, thanks to a focus on efficiency and profits above all else. Facts – Farm Animals Approximately 70 billion farm animals are reared for food in the world each year. This is a cost-cutting measure, keeping the pregnant pigs immobilized. For... 3.Pneumonia among farmed … Hence, a number of countries like New Zealand have prohibited this practice. By sheer number, these are the animals most urgently in need of protection. Hence, we should think twice when purchasing meat, requesting more information about where those animals come from and how they were grown. superbugs -- deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the US, it’s estimated that 40% of agricultural emissions come from factory farms. This is a very popular method, some even claiming that this is industry standard. Factory farms are those that pack hundreds, thousands, and sometimes millions of cows, pigs, chickens into the farms. Previous studies indicate that about 65% of all hogs that get tested present pneumonia-like lesions on their lungs. These cages provide about 0.6 square feet of space for every hen. The reason why they keep the calves in darkness is to keep their flesh attractive and pale. Factory farming is the #1 cause of animal cruelty today. Facts about Farming 6: The cleanest animals in the farms (Goat) a significant portion of them die throughout the ordeal. People living near factory farms often suffer from headaches, nausea, and respiratory distress due to the effects of factory pollution. There’s a female pig in McArthur’s first book We Animals, photographed in Spain in 2009, and this particular pig has followed the photojournalist throughout the years. In the United States about 99 percent are reared on a factory farm. Some of the most mistreated animals are veal calves. Unfortunately, this meant that animals were forced to live indoor the whole year. Animals are kept in cages or crates, or are crowded together in pens. In many instances, some of the farm animals are overfeed to improve and trigger a faster growth of certain organs in their body. That is a lot of chickens! A factory farm is a large, industrial farm that raises huge numbers of animals for food. Both are wrapped with cellophane and snugly stacked in the open meat fridge, labeled with the price, cut and weight of the meat. This is not the only egg factory which uses this practice. If you spot something that's new to you — retweet it! Factory-farmed animals also face injuries and illnesses unique to this form of animal production. Although many individual farmers follow humane practices, these large-scale operations not only cause severe distress for the animals that live there, but create a product that is riddled with chemicals, antibiotics, and yes, sometimes disease. Around 260 million acres of forests in the US have been cut down to produce food for farm animals. Here are the factory farming facts: Tail removal causes immediate and lasting pain to the animal. Mercy For Animals went undercover at a Hy-Line Iowa egg factory, cows can live naturally to about twenty years old, cows can naturally remain productive for 12-15 years, millions of sows are kept in cages called "gestation crates,", tail docking, the act of removing the tails of livestock by burning, emasculating, or constricting the tail with an elastic band. Meanwhile, back in … Hence, farmers tried to find different solutions to stop the spread of diseases, by implementing the use of antibiotics. But that doesn’t make the carbon dioxide emissions any less staggering…the fossil fuels used in energy, transportation, and synthetic pesticides/fertilizers emits 90 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. By crowding as many animals as possible in confined areas, farmers maximized their profits. When she meets a pig in a factory farm, McArthur allows him or her to sniff her hand. The floors of the gestation crates proved to cause many feet deformities. Sometimes, farmers used some of these antibiotics to protect and keep animals healthy in conditions that would facilitate them to get sick. The giant corporations that run most factory farms have found that they can make more money by squeezing as many animals as possible into tiny spaces, even though many of the animals die from disease or infection. Approximately two out of every three farm animals in the world are reared on a factory farm. Many cows suffer from several health issues after tail docking and many of them do not live over the age of 5. These food “factories” typically cover as many as several thousand acres. Nearly 10 billion animals are killed for human consumption each year in the United States. Factory farming is an extremely cruel method of raising animals, but its profitability makes it popular. Keep yourself informed of your food choices, and read below to find out the truth behind factory farming. Factory farming facts Factory farming has been so well hidden, that the straight-up facts can be unexpected and shocking. factory farms pollute air, water and soil; uproot social structures; drive farmers out of business; and threaten the quality of life. Conditions on factory farms are appalling. There are many animals in the factory farms such as pigs, chickens, and cows. Farmers keep a massive number of sows in extremely small crates known as gestation crates. Further, the lack of hygiene resulting from crowded cages, pens, and floors in factory farms contributes anyway to the very infections farmers seek to prevent. 10 Alarming Facts About the Lives of Factory Farmed Animals - One Green Planet The rise of the factory farm has meant that billions of animals have … A factory farm is a farm which raises animals for food or animal products. Other articles where Factory farming is discussed: history of the organization of work: Factory farms: One of the more-comprehensive examples of agricultural “factory” production is seen in the poultry industry in the United States.