Life on a Factory Farm

Figure 1. Peggy the pig.

Do you ever see a cute farm animal and wonder what their life is like on a farm? This is Peggy the pig and she lives on a factory farm with all her brothers and sisters (Figure 1). In case you do not know, a factory farm is a farm where large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost (2). This means that all the animals are always kept inside buildings because this system produces more meat and costs less for the farmers and owners of the farms. Peggy knows everything about factory farms, including the effects they have on the animals and the world.

What is a factory farm?

A factory farm looks more like a factory with many buildings and not much land while a regular farm has rolling pastures, cows grazing on the grass, and pigs rolling in the mud. On factory farms, animals like cows, pigs, and chickens, live inside buildings because the buildings do not take up as much land or cost as much to run as an ordinary farm. On factory farms, farmers give animals antibiotics to make them grow quicker, so food is produced at a faster rate.

Effects on the Animals 

Figure 2. Pigs in their cages.

Animals that live on factory farms do not get treated very nicely. The animals in their cages inside the buildings all day, never going outside. Peggy has heard stories of playing in the mud, but she has never experienced it. The buildings on factory farms should not house the large numbers of animals that farmers put in them (3). Peggy and her siblings are crammed into cages and pens that are so tiny that they can barely move around or play in them (Figure 2). Baby cows live in dark buildings for most of their days, not being able to see their mom (3). Peggy, her siblings, and the other animals have never been treated nicely, and that is not fair.

 Effects on the World 

Factory farms do not just harm animals, they harm the environment and people all over the world. Farmers give their animals antibiotics, even when they are not sick! The antibiotics make the animals grow so fast that some chickens cannot stand up because their body is too heavy for their legs to carry. Humans ingest the same antibiotics when they eat the meat from the animals, and we get immune to them, which means the antibiotics may no longer work when we are sick. Another effect is that farm animals pollute the earth more than cars, trains, airplanes, and other types of transportation (1). Farm animals produce greenhouse gas emissions, which pollute the earth and harm environment. Greenhouse gas emissions from farm animals would decrease if farmers stopped mass producing animals like they do in factory farms. It can be argued that factory farming helps feed people in the world who go hungry, but the system does more harm than good.

Why should you care?

Animals on factory farms should not be treated so poorly and neither should Earth. Peggy the pig does not want to live on a factory farm any longer and neither do the rest of the animals. The world needs people like you to stand up against factory farming, so animals can be taken care of properly, humans can live a healthy lifestyle, and our home on Earth can stay clean. 

If you want to learn more about factory farming, watch this video!

References

(1) Coller, J. (2016). The state of factory farming: Present and future. Agricultural Management Committee Newsletter, 20(1), 4-7. 

(2) Factory Farm. (2018, April 29). In Merriam Webster. Retrieved May 1, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factory%20farm

(3) Zuzworksy, R. (2001). From the marketplace to the dinner plate: The economy, theology, and factory farming. Journal of Business Ethics, 29(1-2), 177-188. https://www-jstor-org.proxy-bloomuu.klnpa.org/stable/25074452