In today’s day and age where food production yield is critical, protection of the environment is imperative, and the state of American health is distressing nutritional health has become a very heavy and conflicting topic in society, especially where meat is concerned. The inception of the fast food industry in the mid 1900’s saw the demand for cheaper meat in the U.S skyrocket. With cheaper meats more readily available the average meat consumption by U.S citizens also increased significantly. In order to accommodate this high demand for cheaper meat, the raising of prime meat animals such as cows, hogs, and chickens was rapidly moved away from traditional pasture and barn raising methods to a wholly subsidized industrial system (Sherman 10). …show more content…
From a superficial perspective it’s almost ridiculous to even argue in favor of CAFOs knowing anything about them, which is why most proponents of CAFO do not argue that CAFOs practices are ethically acceptable but that they are economically necessary. One of the biggest grounds on which the CAFO argument stands is that CAFO’s have managed to produce enough meat at a sufficient enough cost to keep relative meat prices down thus making it more affordable to the poorer American population who would otherwise be unable to afford it (Sherman 14). They also boast that thanks to the CAFO system America has become one of the world’s largest exporter of meat, especially beef, becoming the 4th highest ranking exporter of beef in the world. With more than half of U.S agricultural revenue coming from livestock and poultry production in amounts exceeding $100 billion per year (USDA 2015) CAFOs, being the predominant operations, can certainly be accredited for stimulating revenue flow into the U.S economy. Moreover, CAFO proponents seek to bring to light some of the hidden realities of pasture farms whose obscurity, they believe, leaves many people under the impression that raising livestock to feed nations could be pleasant. Proponents of CAFO point out that inhumane practices are a given in the realm of animal raising and meat production. Advocates assert that the stipulation of the “grass-fed” label are scant and that practices such as poultry debeaking, livestock castration, and tail docking without anesthesia which are prevalent in CAFOs are just as commonplace on pasture farms. They go on to emphasize that “severe crowding and insufficient time outdoors” is still a major issue on pasture farms, also highlighting that “It is not unusual for hens to number the thousands crammed in large barns or chicken houses where each bird has about one square foot of space...” and yet still be certified as “humanely