Factory Farming
Beginning after World War II, the agricultural industry moved from small farms to predominately factory-based farming. This switch resulted from the rise of industry and the use of the assembly line; by this time, machines had already begun replacing laborers around the globe. With the growing demand for food, the agricultural business turned to harmful pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to accelerate growth and increase the crop yield. Rather than the traditional method of farming, in which a variety of crops and diverse livestock are raised on a comfortable amount of acreage, nowadays, thousands of animals are raised in crammed cages and crops lacking any variety are grown in mass numbers. The use of high-density stocking is applied in aqua-culturing, in which sea animals are raised in underwater, controlled conditions, posing similar safety problems. The unethical practices of aquaculture and factory farming prove harmful to the environment, inhumane, and unhealthy for consumers.
Factory farming and aquaculture pose tremendous, disastrous problems to the environment. Factory farming destroys the land and air as it contains polluting factors, resulting from significant amounts of harmful emissions. “Since 1950, meat consumption has doubled among the world’s richest 20%; whereas the world’s poorest quintile has not increased its consumption of meat much at all.” Although, overall, the amount of food produced in the agricultural business is large enough to feed more starving people in third world countries.
Ironically enough, those who already consume animal products are responsible for the doubling of the meat consumption. The consequences of factory farming are limitless; “it is estimated that since World War II, poor farming practices have damaged...38% of all farmland in use today.”
In addition, soil degradation is a major challenge facing those in the agricultural industry as attempts to feed our growing population exist. Healthy...