Introduction
Factory farming is the large-scale production of animals and their produce through industrialization and profit orientation. The goal of the operations is to increase the output through proven agricultural and scientific methods. The rearing of a large number of animals for production purposes is also called concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) or intensive animal farming since all activities aim to meet production goals (Guo et al. 2). The emergence of the enterprise is based on the high demand for food as the global population increases (Islam & Karim 2). Several practices facilitate the outcomes of CAFOs that raise concerns over their impacts. Calls for stricter regulations aim to enhance safety in production as concerns over the well-being of the animals and the environmental impact increase in the public. The farms are necessary due to current demands on agriculture. However, other factors related to the process should be considered to enhance safety and other emergent issues. Factory farming provides a quicker way to mass produce food: still, the federal government should enact stricter regulations and hold factories accountable because pesticides, antibiotics, and chemical toxins are harmful and unsuitable for consumption.
Discussion
The demand for food continues to increase globally due to a constant increase in population, making factory farms the most suitable to address the new consumption needs. The current world population growth rate is very high and exceeds the production level (Sadigov 1). The United Nations’s 2019 statistics of the world’s population showed that there were more than seven billion people (Sadigov 1). Food is an essential need for humans, and consumption continues to rise as people live longer and birth rates increase. Factory farming facilitates the continued production of essential food supplies through efficient processes. The farms ensure a constant supply of specific products like meat and dairy when all factors remain constant. Production of meat and other animal products has increased over the years to meet the demand, which is solely attributed to the emergence of factory farms.
The health threat to humans from intensive animal feeding is high due to the lack of stricture regulations to reduce and eliminate risks. Zoonoses are common adverse outcomes of factory farms, compromising consumers’ health. Zoonoses are infectious diseases that move from animals to individuals. The transfer of pathogens is primarily due to human proximity to animals (Marchese & Hovorka 2). The diseases can be parasitic, viral, or bacterial, and their introduction into the body leads to varying impacts. CAFOs increase the risk of pathogen transfer through the concentration of homogenous host populations. They create a conducive environment for the mutation and relocation of diseases to people. Factory farms use feeds that contain elements like Zinc, which are harmful to consumers when consumed in large quantities. Research shows that most infectious diseases in humans come from animals (Espinosa et al. 1019). Moreover, the industry relies heavily on antibiotics to mitigate diseases, which have been found to increase antibiotic resistance in consumers (Pokharel et al. 2). Therefore, the production and consumption of animals and their products in large quantities present significant risks to humans.
CAFOs are similar to other industrial processes, whereby environmental pollution is characteristic and demands strict regulations from governments to mitigate the adversities. Several forms of pollution occur due to factory farms, and their intensity increases with the demand for meat and animal products. Air pollution from the farms results from the accumulation of ammonia from the decomposing feces. Beef and dairy cattle are major contributors to global warming due to the greenhouse gases they emit. Water pollution is evidenced from the farms as the farms rely heavily on water for cleaning. The runoff water usually ends up in rivers, leading to pollution. Also, pesticides and other chemical toxins that primarily aim to prevent and manage diseases lead to water pollution, as they are usually washed away. Government regulations are required to curb the impacts of CAFOs on the environment and reduce their use of natural resources like fresh water, which is increasingly becoming scarce.
Opposing views on factory farms are primarily focused on the ethics and politics of the practice. Animal rights have become a significant issue as more attention is drawn to the ethics of large-scale animal production (Shulman et al. 2). Animals are similar to humans and should be treated with dignity (Ashbach 601). Animals in the farms are exposed to inhumane conditions from birth. They undergo intensive feeding processes that ensure their growth and readiness to meet their purpose. However, mass animal production is considered inhumane since animals share several traits with humans (Smolkin 245). Moreover, the intention to raise animals to provide meat or other products is deemed inhumane, even when the animals are subjected to humane conditions. Therefore, keeping animals for specific economic gains is unethical despite the economic and political support of the practice.
The arguments against intensive feeding of animals are valid but fail to consider human needs, culture, and preferences that place meat and animal products as crucial components of their meals. Human history shows that meat consumption is one of the most consistent practices in most cultures. People have consumed meat and other animal products for generations and considering leaving them due to arguments that term it unethical is unacceptable to many. Meat and animal products are primary components in our meals and will continue to be in demand. Cultures worldwide have meat and animal products in their cuisines, and changing that is next to impossible. Arguments against factory farms fail to consider the human need and preference for meat, making them invalid. Factory farms will continue to be essential in the supply chain for food worldwide, and discussions should be focused on how they can be made sustainable to reduce adversities. Strict regulations can help to ensure lower health risks to consumers, better use of natural resources like water, and lower environmental pollution.
Conclusion
CAFOs have become a crucial industry in food supply worldwide as demand increases with population. The efficiencies achieved in the sector allow for providing crucial products to consumers. However, strict laws are required to address the challenges that emerge from the processes. Pesticides and harmful chemicals are sources of environmental pollution and require mitigation since more farms are expected to emerge to meet increasing demand. Government regulation can help reduce the use of pollutants and subsequent environmental impacts. Strict laws are also required to ensure consumer safety since several elements used on farms present significant health risks to humans. Antibiotics are noted to contribute to antibiotic resistance, which has become a public health issue. The health risks consumers face should be at the center of regulations in the industry. Finally, arguments against factory farms have some validity, but they fail to consider the needs of a significant section of the world’s population.
Works Cited
Ashbach, Jonathan. “A Limited Defense of Factory Farming the Politics of Consuming Intensively Raised Animals.” The Independent Review, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 601-621.
Espinosa, Romain, et al. “Infectious Diseases and Meat Production.” Environmental and Resource Economics, vol. 76, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1019–1044.
Guo, Yaqiong, et al. “Association of Common Zoonotic Pathogens with Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.” Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 12, 2022.
Islam, Mohammad Fakhrul Sheikh, and Zahurul Karim. “World’s Demand for Food and Water: The Consequences of Climate Change.” Desalination – Challenges and Opportunities, 2020.
Marchese, Alyssa, and Alice Hovorka. “Zoonoses Transfer, Factory Farms and Unsustainable Human–Animal Relations.” Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 19, 2022, p. 12806.
Pokharel, Sunil, et al. “Antimicrobial Use in Food Animals and Human Health: Time to Implement ‘One Health’ Approach.” Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, vol. 9, no. 1, 2020.
Sadigov, Rahim. “Rapid Growth of the World Population and Its Socioeconomic Results.” The Scientific World Journal vol. 2022 8110229.
Shulman, Deborah, et al. “The Cost of Attributing Moral Blame: Defensiveness and Resistance to Change When Raising Awareness to Animal Suffering in Factory Farming.” PLOS ONE, vol. 16, no. 8, 2021.
Smolkin, Doran. “Is Humane Farming Morally Permissible?” Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol. 38, no. 2, 2021, pp. 244–257.