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Jade Denman

Ms. Steiner

English 10

1 March 2019

The Negative Effects of Factory Farming

Many health concerns and diseases are not curable and the farmers are blamed because

they are supposed to be giving the animals the drugs and medicines to prevent the animals from

catching diseases so they stay healthy. Factory farming is an agricultural practice that mass

produce animals to meet the food consumption of humans. It can be a good technique to get

people food but it spread diseases and can be very dangerous. Although some may argue that

factory farming is a good source for meat production, however, factory farming is not one of the

best solutions because it is harmful, costly and heartbreaking.

The first reason that factory farming is inefficient is because its harmful because of the

spread of diseases. For example, in David C. Morley and Sally Driscoll’s article “ Factory

Farming,” they mention “Many diseases are not curable and the farmers are the ones blamed

because they are supposed to be using drugs to avoid the spread of diseases.” (Driscoll and

Morley 1). There is a thing called the “Mad Cow Disease” and it is a brain disorder that remains

in cattle and can spread to humans when they eat diseased meat. Through this process, it goes to

show that the action of factory farming isn’t just a result of harming animals but humans as well

with the point of disease. The diseases of the animals are causing everyone who eats from those

animals to be harmed as well. Also from the article “Factory Farming” by Morley and Driscoll,
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it states, “There has been advancements to help the processed food. Antibiotics have the reduced

amount of diseases. Along with the threat of CAFO’s.” (Driscoll and Morley 1). We shouldn’t

have to giving animals medicine to help prevent us humans from catching diseases through our

food. Our food should already be safe for us to eat and we shouldn’t have to worry. People and

animals are so close together that it is very important the animals are healthy and curable before

their food gets out to be ate.

The next reason that factory farming isn’t a great solution is because it is costly. For

example, in “Do They Not Bleed?” by Stephanie Brown, the cost to get the right amount of

protein for an animal to produce our food is a lot more expensive than the protein for for plants

to produce it for us (Brown 1). This is a problem because it’s not only expensive to pay for

protein but for the animals to produce it. Though factory-farming may be cheaper than organic

processed meat, organic is a lot healthier and has many more benefits. Families shouldn’t have to

pay so much for food which is why they may choose the factory-farmed but the causes aren’t

worth it. Also, in Karen Dawn’s “Making Progress Against Animal Cruelty”, she exclaims the

point of how it would be much easier and cost-effective if we just use plant-based meat instead

of feeding the plants to the animals(Dawn 1). The prices are going up just to get the food from

our animas instead of just taking them from the plants and skipping a step. The organic meat is a

better cost-effective choice anyways because it has better turnouts and is worth your money

better. Factory-farmed meat should be used for the larger families who may not have the right

amount of money for the more expensive but their results may vary.
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The last solution that factory farming isn’t great solution is because it is heartbreaking to

those who may love animals. Everyday year after year, animals are killed and slaughtered just to

put food on some families plates. According to Elizabeth Cherry she stated in her article “The

Pig That Therefore I Am,” “Animal rights activists and scholars see anthropomorphism as a

double-edged sword. On the other hand, it can bring humans closer to nonhuman

animals.”(Cherry 16). This meaning that us as humans can connect to those animals and as we

get closer the more sad it is to watch them suffer and die for us. Some people may not see things

like others and that is why there is two sides but it doesn’t do any good for the animals. It only

makes it good for us. Another reasoning; going off of the article written by Alex K. Rich in

“Animal Rights. An Overview,” it’s been stated that some methods used for factory farming

include confining the animals, feeding them hormones and keeping them away from other

animals(Rich 1). This is wrong and unsupportive because they deserve to be around others

instead of waiting for them to be done and used for meat. Animals are being abused and torn

apart for reasons that they don’t know. They are treated as units of production and they don’t

deserve it.

Although some may argue that factory farming is a cheaper source of food production

and an easier way, however animals are killed and used in a bad way of getting the meat to

families and stores. Namely by Karen Dawn’s “Making Progress Against Animal Cruelty” “As a

society, we are typically deeply associated from animal cruelty, but more than ever, animal

protection organizations are telling the backstory.”(Dawn 2). They say we don’t see, we don’t
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say. The problem is out of sight out of mind. When we don’t see it, we don’t think about it and

therefore we don’t advocate against it.

While many say that factory farming is a good source of meat production, it’s not the best

source of way because it is harmful, cost-effective and heartbreaking to us humans. The animals

are taken away from other, the price is raised to go through the process and animals are

endangered and slaughtered. Factory farming isn’t the best solution and there are many other

ways to get food production.

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Works Cited

“Animal Rights. An Overview.” Salem Press Encyclopedia. 2018. Wagner. 14 February 2019.

Brown, Stephanie. “Do They Not Bleed?” Canadian Dimension, vol. 45, no. 4, July 2011, pp

23-26. Ebscohost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=64918364.

February 114, 2019

Cherry, Elizabeth. “The Pig That Therefore I Am.” Humanity & Society, vol. 40, no. 1, Feb.

2016, p. 26. Ebscohost, doi:10.117710160597615586620. February 14, 2019

Dawn, Karen. “Making Progress Against Animal Cruelty.” Progressive, vol. 80, no. 7, July 2016,

p. 37, Ebscohost, search. ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=116370144.

February 14, 2019

Driscoll, Sally Morley, David C. “Factory Farming.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2018.

Ebscohost, Search. ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=t60&AN=89158181. February

14, 2019.