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Running head: THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING

The Devastating Impacts of Factory Farming

Candace Shreve

University of Texas at El Paso

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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING

Abstract

This community problem report explores the multiple detrimental impacts that factory farming

has on the Earth. Farming animals for meat and dairy causes extreme suffering, not only

for the Earth but for the animals involved as well. Raising animals in factory farms

requires extensive amounts of water, food, land, and energy. Not only do the animals

drink an enormous amount of water, but its also used to grow food for them to eat and to

clean dirty factory farms. At least 50% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by

animal agriculture. Animals living in factory farms live short, terribly miserable lives.

The animals are forced to live in extremely dirty and small spaces, then they are

murdered. Going vegan can greatly lessen your contribution to factory farming.
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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING
The Devastating Impacts of Factory Farming

Animal Agriculture and Climate Change

The farming of animals greatly impacts our environment. Raising animals for food and dairy

products takes massive amounts of water, food, land, and energy. It also creates pollution and

green-house gases. Not only do the meat and dairy industries impact our land, but they also

impact our oceans.

Water. Animal agriculture is responsible for 85-90% of water consumption in the United

States. Only 5% of water consumption is from private homes in the United States. Not only does

it take a lot of water for the animals to drink, but it also takes an extensive amount of water to

grow the crops that are fed to the animals. 56% of water consumption in the United States is just

from growing grain to feed the animals.

2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce only one pound of beef, 477 gallons of

water are required to produce one pound of eggs, and 900 gallons of water are needed to make

one pound of cheese. There are many places in the world that are in a drought and desperately

need fresh water. If so much water wasnt being used to maintain the factory farms in the United

States alone, we could possibly solve this huge problem.

Land and food. Livestock and livestock feed occupies more than 1/3 of the worlds ice-

free land, covering 45% of the Earths total land. 56 million acres of land are being to grow feed

for animals, but only 4 million acres of land are being used to produce food for human

consumption. Since factory farms need so much land to sustain their factories, extreme

deforestation has occurred to make room.

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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING
More than 90% of all the Amazon rainforest land that has been cut down since 1970 has

been used only for grazing livestock. At the current rate that deforestation is occurring, the

Earths rainforests could possibly vanish within the next one hundred years. Deforestation is also

creating large species extinction. Up to 137 plant, animal, and insect species are being

completely lost every single day because of this demolition.

Figure 1. A photo of a koala bear left without a home due to extensive deforestation.

Received from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/30/koala-photo-loggers-

australia_n_3179029.html

Pollution and green-house gas emission. In a factory farm holding only 2,500 dairy

cows, the same amount of waste is produced as a city holding 411,000 people. In the United

States alone, livestock produces 116,000 pounds of waste every second. At least 40% of all

greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture. Since 2006, methane levels have

steadily been rising, just as animal agriculture is. Methane is 25-100 times more destructive than

carbon dioxide, making the potential of global warming caused by methane 86 times that of

carbon dioxide. Cows produce more than 150 billion gallons of methane every single day.
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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING
Animal agriculture also causes water pollution. Manure and fertilizers from animal farming ends

up in streams, lakes, and sometimes even groundwater. Because so much animal excrement is

contained in lagoons, they often leak and overflow, polluting water on Earth.

Oceans. The worlds oceans are seriously depleted from over fishing. 100 million tons of

fish are pulled from the oceans every year, and for every one pound of fish that is caught, up to

five unintended species are also caught and then killed. This adds up to as many as 40% of ocean

life being caught and discarded each year. Scientists estimate that as many as 650,000 dolphins,

whales, and seals a year are being killed by fishing, and 40 million sharks have been killed in

fishing lines and fishing nets. The Earths oceans have been so over-fished that its possible that

we could see fishless oceans in just thirty years.

The Lifes and Deaths of Animals in Factory Farms

Life and death of a chicken. The United States raises and slaughters 10 times more birds

than any other animal in factory farms. Chickens raised for eggs and chickens raised for meat are

very different. Chickens used for agriculture are dosed with antibiotics and excessive feeding.

They also get very little exercise because theyre stuck in very small cages for almost all their

lives. Because of this, chickens grow extremely fast and unproportionate. The parts of them used

for meat, such as their breasts are very large, but their bones and organs stay the same. This

causes many chicken to suffer medical problems such as organ failure, trouble breathing, leg

weakness, and chronic pain. As the chickens grow larger, space grows smaller. The chickens get

so crowded together that chickens often die and are left among the living, creating a sad and even

more stressful environment for the chickens that are trying to survive.
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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING
Life and death of a pig. Pigs are one of the smartest animals in the world and they get

extremely frustrated living in a factory farm. Since pigs often chew at their tales in their

frustration, farm workers regularly cut off their tails and knock out their teeth without any

medication. Almost all female pigs spend their entire reproductive life stuck in gestation crates

that are barely bigger than their bodies. The pigs are artificially inseminated and remain in the

crates to give birth and nurse their young. When the babies no longer need to be nursed, they are

taken away from their mother. Once the pigs can no longer have babies, they are slaughtered.

Figure 2. This photo depicts young pigs in cages. Retrieved from

https://www.peta.org/living/food/top-10-reasons-eat-pigs/

Life and death of a cow. Even though cows raised for beef are the only factory farmed

animals that get to go outside, their lives are not pain free in the least. The cows are branded,

castrated, and they often get their horns removed without any pain medication. Between the age

of six months to one year, most cattle that are raised for beef spend their last months of life in

crowded feedlots that are crowded with thousands of other cows. Cows are capable of forming
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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING
friendships and they often choose to spend their time with around three to four specific cows,

which makes it harder for cows when their friends are slaughtered.

Cows raised for dairy are kept indoors. Many of the cows are chained up in tie-stalls and

get their tails and horns removed without any pain medication. Since cows only produce milk

from being pregnant, the dairy cows are artificially inseminated once a year. Most of a dairy

cows life is spent pregnant. Once a cow gives birth, the calf is immediately taken away from the

mother so that the milk can be collected for human consumption. This is extremely traumatic to

both the mother and calf. If the calf is a male, it will be raised for veal, and if its a female it will

also become a dairy cow. When a dairy cow can no longer be impregnated or they are ill, which

is normally after four to five years, they are sent to be slaughtered for beef.

Figure 3. A photo of a newborn calf. Retrieved from

http://www.weanimals.org/gallery.php?id=90#ph1
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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING
What can be done? The best thing that anyone could do to help minimize the impact of

factory farming is going vegan. If meat and dairy factories were no longer were supported,

theyd end up out of business and would no longer have the money to torture these animals and

the Earth. Even if veganism is too extreme for someone, starting by going meatless some of the

time could even help. You should never buy from a company that doesnt care about animal

rights. You could protest, vote, write to newspapers and magazines, and support organizations

that are fighting against factory farming.

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THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING
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