How does the food industry affect animals and how does this reflect on people?

How does the food industry affect animals and how does this reflect on people?

Lens: Ethical

AP Seminar 2021-2022

Word Count: 1182

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Introduction:

We all remember that horrifying moment when we realized that meat comes from real

animals. Early on, we are unlikely to even consider that animals are killed to eat. When we

finally found out the truth of what really happens, most of us were probably shocked. But if you

eat meat today, chances are you got over that initial disgust, and eventually thought nothing of it.

We become convinced that animals’ lives are humanely ended, and that they are then safely

processed into food. This assumption, however, is the root of the problem. If you dive deeper

into the food industry, you’ll see that the ignorance of the human race has caused great suffering

for animals raised to be killed. Many people often comment on the failure of humans to properly

implement procedures that would allow for the humane treatment of animals. Undoubtedly, some

individuals firmly believe that the meat industry as a whole is deeply flawed and unethical to

both animals and employees. However, this statement is controversial. Others claim that because

these meat animals are going to be killed anyways, their lives don’t matter. They also say that

large meat-processing plants can’t easily follow safety standards, and are correct in having a

“quantity-over-quality” mentality. These opposing viewpoints show what we need to really, truly,

consider: how does the food industry affect animals and how does this reflect on people?

The Treatment of Animals in a Factory Setting:

Although the extent of the cruelty in the food industry is widely disputed, there is

absolutely no doubt that it exists. You can simply Google ‘how are animals treated in the food

industry,’ and be met by thousands of disgustingly cruel images of animals suffering that will

give you your answer: yes, they are unfairly treated as machines instead of live creatures.

Everything that happens to animals in factories can be seen as unethical in some way. For
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example, an article by Marc Bekoff, a well-respected professor at the University of Colorado,

describes the norm for treating dairy cows in factories. He states that, “Aside from the blatant

abuses inflicted on dairy cows at the hands of frustrated workers (kicking, punching, dragging

behind tractors), the routine and systematic cruelty over 10 million U.S. dairy cows endure is

arguably horrific” (Beckoff 1). This shows that the unethical treatment of animals in the food

industry has been accepted, when it should be avoided entirely. Similarly, according to Ramon

Moreno, a former slaughterer employed in a factory, the animals weren’t even stunned or killed

properly. This negligence led many of them to be processed alive. “Some would survive as far as

the tail cutter, the belly ripper, the hide puller. ‘They die,’ says Moreno, ‘piece by piece’”

(Warrick 1). This shows how, from the very beginning of the process, not enough attention is

paid to the well-being of animals. Therefore, we really need to consider the fact that

systematically, meat factories are unethical.

The Impact on the Mental Health of Employees in the Meat Industry:

It’s obvious that animals are affected by the meat industry, in that they are often in a lot of

pain from their treatment at factories. However, what is rather unheard of is how working in a

meat factory negatively impacts employees. People who work in jobs that require them to do

things such as slaughtering animals and dismembering them often suffer from severe mental

health conditions following their careers, including PTSD and anxiety. In fact, a literature review

by Sage Journals states, “...it has been argued that facilitating or observing the cutting, skinning,

and boiling of conscious or unconscious animals can cause psychological distress (i.e., cognitive

dissonance) on the workers” (Slade, Alleyne 1). This supports the fact that just watching the

processing of an animal can cause severe conditions, mainly PTSD. Similarly, individuals who
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work as slaughterers can become extremely dangerous and violent. The Yale Global Health

Review shows this in an article, saying that, “This is seen in one worker’s testimony about how

working a long shift slaughtering livestock affected how he viewed and treated his coworkers:

‘I’ve had ideas of hanging my foreman upside down on the line and sticking him. I remember

going into the office and telling the personnel man I have no problem pulling the trigger on a

person—if you get in my face I’ll blow you away’” (Lebwohl 1). This shocking quote from a

slaughterer, who outright admits that he has virtually no problem with the torture and murder of

humans, shows just how damaging working killing animals is. It is far from ethical to allow

people to work at a place in which they are at high risk of developing psychological disorders

that could potentially affect them for the rest of their lives.

The Unsanitary Conditions in Meat Processing Facilities:

Facilities that process meat for human consumption are exceptionally dirty and

unsanitary. Because the livestock are way too crowded (with one article stating “On factory

farms, however, confinement is taken to extremes” (Humane League 1)), diseases spread rapidly.

This then leads to many animal deaths. These bodies are often not disposed of properly and are

usually left where they are to rot, or are thrown into trash bins. This is another health risk for

both employees and animals. Also, because these animals are so crowded, they often need to go

through painful procedures to not accidentally kill other animals.The Animal Welfare Institute

says that, “In order to facilitate confinement of these animals in such stressful, crowded,

unsanitary conditions, painful mutilations like cutting off the horns of cattle, cutting off the beaks

of chickens, and docking the tails of sheep, pigs, and dairy cattle are routinely performed”

(Animal Welfare Institute 1). So not only is it unethical for any living being to have such harmful
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surroundings, it’s also unethical for animals to have to be mutilated, ironically, for their so-called

“safety”. Also, these dirty conditions allow for the contamination of meat and milk, negatively

affecting anyone who purchases such products. Furthermore, the animals suffer greatly because

of this uncleanliness, due to the fact that they are either inflicted with diseases, or are in the same

vicinity as carcasses riddled with flies. In the end, the fact that the conditions in meat processing

facilities are completely unsanitary is indisputable, and existing in these unhealthy places is

unethical for both humans and animals.

Conclusion:

In the end, cruel and inhumane practices in the food industry are unethical and unfair to

both employees and livestock. Perhaps most paramount is the unnecessary suffering of animals,

which is unfortunately encouraged and well-received by many supporters of the meat industry

and its ideals. But just as important to note is the mental agony that slaughtering animals can

cause and the unhygienic factory surroundings that endanger everything and everyone in these

facilities. In an attempt to do away with all of these issues, we as humans could consider going

vegetarian or vegan. That being said, to radically alter your diet is undoubtedly difficult, so

perhaps a more achievable option would be to only purchase meat and dairy products that are

labeled “certified 100% grassfed” or “cage-free” to ensure that your food is produced without

cruelty, and that the animals that contribute to your nourishment are raised ethically and live

peaceful, happy lives.

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Works Cited

Animal Welfare Institute. "Inhumane Practices on Factory Farms." Animal Welfare

Institute, https://awionline.org/content/inhumane-practices-factory-farms. Accessed 16

Nov. 2021.

Bekoff, Marc. "Is Dairy Farming Cruel to Bright and Emotional Cows?"

Psychology Today, 7 Jan. 2021,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/202101/is-dairy-farming-cruel-brig

ht-and-emotional-cows. Accessed 16 Nov. 2021.

Lebwohl, Michael. "A Call to Action: Psychological Harm in Slaughterhouse Workers." The Yale

Global Health Review, 25 Jan. 2016,

https://yaleglobalhealthreview.com/2016/01/25/a-call-to-action-psychological-harm-in-sl

aughterhouse-workers/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2021.

Slade, Jessica, and Emma Alleyne. "The Psychological Impact of Slaughterhouse

Employment: A Systematic Literature Review." SAGE Journals,

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15248380211030243. Accessed 21 Nov.

2021.

The Humane League. "How Are Factory Farms Cruel to Animals?" The Humane League, 5 Jan.

2021, https://thehumaneleague.org/article/factory-farming-animal-cruelty. Accessed 16

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Nov. 2021.

Warrick, Joby. "Modern Slaughtering Methods Are Inhumane." Gale in Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, 2005,

https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Viewpoints&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&s

earchResultsType=MultiTab&hitCount=1&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPositi

on=1&docId=GALE%7CEJ3010309213&docType=Viewpoint+essay&sort=Relevance&

contentSegment=ZXAY-MOD1&prodId=OVIC&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CE

J3010309213&searchId=R7&userGroupName=mlin_s_orrhs&inPS=true. Accessed 10

Nov. 2021.