Introduction
Where do happy cows actually come from? Most of our minds create an image of large fields where cows and other animals are free to roam and graze. In reality, however, most farms today are actually large corporate factories, not the vast fields and red barns that most Americans imagine. These consolidated operations known as CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) are able to produce meats in high volume but have little to no regard for animal or human welfare, the environment, or food safety. CAFOs in the United States are able to produce and process these large amounts of meat year-round by providing sheltered farms for a range of livestock such as cattle, swine, and sheep. However, within these farms animals are confined in limited spaces, making living conditions increasingly unhealthy and unsanitary. Brian Walsh, an environmental columnist at Time Magazine, observed that pigs are sometimes “packed so tightly with other swine that many of their curly tails have been chopped off so they won’t bite one another.” Conditions like these are prime locations for diseases to thrive and spread throughout the livestock. Although antibacterial immunizations are provided to the pigs, the bacteria and other viruses are constantly altering, leading to untreatable infections that can be easily passed onto workers and consumers. Contributing to the threat of new diseases, CAFOs contain massive pileups of feces and other excrements which do not provide safe living or breeding grounds for animals. With over 100 million tons of feces and urine produced annually by swine CAFOs alone, the total amount of unmanageable waste leads to increasing air and water pollution while diminishing the quality of life in surrounding communities (Burkholder). The United States and the Environmental Protection Agency need to strengthen rules and regulations of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in order to ensure good health for the public.
Background/Context
In the past few decades the rise of CAFOs has transformed United States farming, turning small farms into industrial facilities trying to keep up with increasing consumer demand. Peter Thorne, a professor in the department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa, determined that the number of farms in Iowa raising hogs decreased from 64,000 in 1980 to 10,500 in 200 – an 84% decrease – while the average number of hogs per farm increased from 250 to over 1,430 over this same period – a 470% increase (Burkholder). These increases in overpopulated CAFOs give rise to many issues regarding sanitation and maintenance. In many of these farms pigs are exposed to their own feces and urine for long periods of time in which they are prone to bacterial infections such as E. coli, pneumonia, and various forms of diarrhea. To minimize these dangerous diseases, virtually all farmers inject or feed their livestock antibiotics. According to Andrew Pekosz, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly virulent strains emerge randomly by chance, but by concentrating so many viruses in one place, he explains, CAFOs increase the frequency at which more dangerous strains might appear (Schmidt). The excessive use of antibiotics allows common strains of bacteria and viruses to mutate and emerge, reducing the effectiveness of many antibiotics used for treating humans. In nature bacteria is capable of reproducing via binary fission in as short as 15 minutes, and with the addition of poor ventilation and unsanitary conditions the impact felt on the health of livestock, workers, and consumers can be tremendous.
Recent outbreaks of strains of the influenza only further support stricter regulations on CAFOs. One such case is the H1N1 epidemic, more commonly known as the swine flu. Since its outbreak in 2009 this particular strain of the flu has infected over 150,000 and killed another 12,000 people in the US (CDC). It name comes from its alleged origin, a swine CAFO in La Gloria, Mexico operated by Smithfield Foods, the world largest. The CAFO itself has been described as “grotesque because pigs are crammed into giant building, kept in stalls so small they can’t even turn around… The pollution from their waste is so noxious that you must wear a gas mask to enter the building” (Brainard). These conditions lead to the misuse of antibiotics which results in strains like H1N1 that cannot be treated with regular antibiotics. If this continues, many of our medicines will become obsolete. Current statistics show that an estimated 70% of all antibiotics and related drugs used in the United States are given to food animals to promote faster growth and to hold off diseases in highly crowded CAFOs, with the resulting total antibiotic resistance already causing U.S. health care $4 billion annually (“Hidden Costs of CAFOs”). With this pressing issue, the EPA needs to change policies in order prevent epidemics. A closer look reveals that many CAFOs are able to sidestep through regulatory cracks when it comes to sampling for viruses at the farm. Carolyn Bridges, associate director for epidemiologic science in the Influenza Division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), explains that “producers actually have little to no incentive to test for swine influenzas, in part because they aren’t included on a list of 150 ‘reportable illnesses’ that, when detected, must be documented…” (Schmidt) Without proper regulations in place CAFOs are a breeding ground for new epidemics.
The unsanitary living conditions of the animals are a serious risk to their own health because of unchecked disease outbreaks. However, the workers within these CAFOs are also exposed to the same noxious environments. Alongside harmful gases like ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and other contaminated particles CAFOs contain endotoxins that are pro-inflammatory. These airborne emissions have been linked to asthma, mucous membrane irritation, and other respiratory symptoms in humans (Brainard). Simply working within a CAFO and breathing the toxic air can lead to serious health issues. Workers also accelerate the spread of diseases. Because they work in these harmful environments, malicious diseases can easily be transferred from inside the CAFOs to the outside populations
Another major negative byproduct created by CAFOs is pollution. The waste from the crowded livestock doesn’t only leave a horrible stench for miles, but is usually mishandled leading to significant environmental issues. The pathogens in animal waste can easily contaminate food products, bacterial leakage can contaminate soil, and nutrient-laden runoff can taint local water resources surrounding the CAFOs. Most swine CAFOs store their vast amount of fecal waste in onsite lagoons that can easily be breached by heavy rains or winds. Kelly Donham, an environmental professor, states that pathogens in hog waste, particularly bacteria like salmonella, leptospira, and E. coli, can easily travel downwind as “spray aerosols and theoretically infect local populations” (Schmidt). The pileup of waste increases the chances of many of these diseases to spread among people or infections of our foods. However, many local residents surrounding CAFOs are taking action against mishandled waste. According to Rebecca B. Smith, a U.S. District Judge, Smithfield Food was liable for nearly 7,000 violations of pollution laws and received the largest water pollution fine ever of $12.6 million for dumping hog waste into the Pagan River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay (Associated Press). Pagan Lake is now closed for fishing and considered unsafe for swimming. Smithfield has also been accused of using hog waste as manure, producing an excess of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and methane. More importantly, traces of antibiotics can be detected in livestock waste, contaminating many of the crops the manure is spread on. The public health consequences of mishandled animal waste at CAFOs can have dramatic effects on our population and environment.
Research Questions
1) When did United States farmers start switching to CAFOs instead of traditional farming?
2) Are there federal laws regulating CAFOs or are they individual regulations put up by each state? If by state, are there certain states in which the rules are not as strict?
3) Are there any specific regulations limiting the size of CAFOs? I want to know if there is a mandatory square footage that is required based on how much livestock is raised or is it up to the discretion of the owner?
4) Is there a set mandated procedure that CAFOs must follow in regards to waste? Is it legal to be reused as manure or for other purposes?
5) What percentage of livestock, more specifically cattle and swine, are tested for disease or infections? Are selections random or are they biased? (How are the tested livestock picked?)
6) Are CAFOs ever visited by health officials to grade the site based on health risks and sanitations like restaurants or meat shops?
7) When did antibiotics and growth hormones become a common practice used in CAFOs? Are there any studies on the correlation of new outbreaks of mutated diseases and the start of these uses?
8) Is there any regulation of the use of antibiotics? Where do the supplies come from and are they reviewed orders? Are the dosages given checked or monitored by an unaffiliated outside source?
9) How is the health of populations living around CAFOs compared with populations living in urban areas?
10) Do the gases and toxics released from CAFOs have any major effect on our atmosphere? Do they break apart the ozone layer or any other known effect?
11) Are there a significant number of CAFO workers that have experienced long term health issues after retiring or leaving the job?
Review of Research
My research so far has given me great information that I have used in this research proposal and can use in the upcoming historical analysis and advocacy essay. Through my research I was able to pinpoint some of the main negative aspects of CAFOs which include housing livestock in confined spaces, the excessive and maybe unnecessary use of antibiotics, and the uncontrolled upkeep of waste and other excrements. These major issues along with others add up to harmful effects that are passed down to workers, consumers, the environment, and livestock itself. Most of my research started off broad but as I learned more about the subject I was able to key in one specific sub points within my research. I also was weary that a lot of information available could be biased so I made sure to only incorporate sources that were from scholarly people who also based their research off of reputable sources. I was able to find several resources that focused on one particular issue such as environmental impacts. I plan to continue my research but focus more on the use of antibiotics and the management of waste. I would like to find out if there are any guidelines or procedures that must be followed by CAFO owners. I will continue to dive deeper into my research about problems and causes but I also want to expand and find out which specific agencies are involved with CAFO regulations and see if there are any movements that are trying to tackle the issues involving them.

Works Cited
Associated Press. “Smithfield gets record fine for polluting Virginia River”. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. 1997. 04/18/2011.
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Burkholder, JoAnn, Bob Libra, Peter Weyer, Susan Heathcote, Dana Colpin, Peter Thorne, and Micheal Wichman. "Impacts of Waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on Water Quality". Environmental Health Perspectives 115.2 (2007): 308-312. 04/18/2011. .
Schmidt, Charles W. “Swine CAFOs & Novel H1N1 Flu: Separating Facts from Fears”. 2009. 4/14/2011. .
"The Hidden Costs of CAFOs." Union of Concerned Scientists September 2008: 1-8. 4/14/2011. .
Walsh, Bryan. "Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food Time 21 August 2009. 04/17/2011. .