Chloe Rodgerson had dreams of becoming a Broadway star, that is, until she was infected with E. Coli. Now, all she wishes for is a day without pain and hopes she can have a somewhat normal day. Contaminated chicken from a supermarket ruined her career, and ripped away her dreams. She was only eighteen when the infection began, but will spend the rest of her life in doctor’s offices. “Misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs creates selective evolutionary pressure that enables antimicrobial resistant bacteria to increase… and thus increases the opportunity for individuals to become infected by resistant bacteria.” Factory farms keep their animals in deplorable conditions, so they use antimicrobial drugs to keep them alive and growing at …show more content…
The unsanitary living conditions of the animals decrease their health and increase the need for antibiotics. The workers that manage the animals must also endure these disgusting conditions. Their job many involve handling thousands of pounds of liquid manure, removing the corpses of dead livestock, being forced to abuse the animal, and brutally killing the animal. Exposure to such vast amounts of livestock, especially dead livestock, can cause neural and respiratory damage, and handling the meat is dangerous work. A small wound can become infected, which is life threatening and job threatening. In addition to mental and emotional scarring, factory workers are often exploited, and forced into secrecy about their work. The consumers of factory-farmed products are vulnerable to any disease or bacteria carried by the product, which puts them at risk for untreatable illnesses. The deplorable conditions of the animals requires farms to pump them with antibiotics, some for health, and others for growth. Growth hormones damage the bodies of the animals, and health antibiotics lead to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The food consumed by the nation passes on these growth hormones and resistant bacteria. Antibiotic use in factory farms must be stopped, because of the unhealthy effect on consumers. The growth hormones given to livestock result in oversized animals in cramped spaces, which …show more content…
Factory farms choose low-income areas with lots of immigrants, some illegal, and make themselves the only steady source of income in the area. They compete against local farms and businesses, lessing the local profits, as people flock to the factories. Factories employ workers that may be arrested for illegal immigration if they file claims against the company. Many workers are afraid to speak about the horrific conditions they endure, or file for workers compensations when they are injured by the machinery. Each day, dozens of workers are arrested when the companies expose them. Antibiotics are also overused and misused, which results in deformed, disease-carrying livestock. Companies may claim that they are necessary, but they only use them to maximize profits. Merely improving the living conditions by expanding enclosures and feeding them their natural food would eliminate the need for unnecessary hormones and antibiotics. This would also decrease stress, and improve the quality of the product. Factory farms claim they improve the local economy, provide employment opportunity, and use antibiotics to boost the health of the animals, however, they actually put local farms out of business, exploit low-income families, and fill livestock with unnecessary, harmful