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Factory Farming

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Submitted By daisyuhm
Words 3860
Pages 16
Daisy Uhm
Geography 257
Professor Roderick McKenzie
15 December 2015
Should Factory Farming Be Acceptable in Our Society?
Since the past fifty years, farming operations in the United States have developed from individualized production to mass production, which is known today as factory farming. Factory farming is a method of food and fiber production which exploits animals in a confined environment (Marcus). As the demand for meat continues to increase, the modern agricultural practice of factory farming also continues to increase to meet the food consumption of humans. Factory farms consist of a large number of animals confined in small spaces to minimize operation costs; this mass production has decreased the price of meat as the factories produce an excess amount of meat to satisfy the demand. However, although Americans are fulfilled with the abundant amount of cheap meat, the practice of factory farming causes serious consequences for animals, humans, and the environment. This unhealthy practice has led to problems such as pollution, inhuman animal treatment, and human illness. Therefore, for all these reasons, many people have stated that factory farming is morally and ethically wrong. Since factory farms wield tremendous power in our society, they have become a controversial topic, with many people questioning whether they are detrimental or beneficial to our society. While opponents believe that the costs of factory farming outweigh the benefits, supporters rather believe that factory farming is needed in our current society. The factory farming agriculture today differs drastically from the traditional animal agriculture. While animals in traditional American farms graze and are able to exercise, animals in factory farms are forced to live in cramped, filthy, unnatural conditions to process food. This confinement agriculture emerged in the middle of

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