Madeline
Imagine yourself inside a cage. Not just any cage, a cheap, metal, barely bigger than your
body, cage. You can’t sit down. You can’t even move because your toenails have grown so long,
they’ve curled around the mesh on the floor. You haven’t been out of that little prison since you
were born. Not even for a bathroom break. The stench is unbelievable, but you’re used to it.
Maybe it’s from the food. You don’t know even want to know what’s it’s in it. Ouch! Your
neighbor on your left just bit you. Apparently she needs more head room. Who doesn’t? You try
to bite her back, but you can’t reach because your neck is too weak. A great deal of squabbling
takes place. No response from the neighbor on your right. Of course, she’s dead, and has been
that way for about three weeks now. This is how your life is, has been, and will be for the rest of
your short, miserable existence.
Good morning Mrs. Moore, faculty, and fellow students.
You have just placed yourself in the skin of an egg-laying chicken in a factory farm.
What is a factory farm? A factory farm is a facility that mass produces animals or animal
products for human consumption. This method of farming is meant to be a cheap way to produce
food, but it has its down sides. Mass producing animal products is unethical because it displays
extreme cruelty to the animals, causes health issues in consumers, and has a disastrous impact on
the environment.
The animals live a very pathetic existence, full of cruelty and abuse. Take cows, for
example. Starting from when they are born, they are brought to their pens. The pens have only
been cleaned yearly, if at all. The cows are practically wading in poop. They will be left out in
the elements, even in freezing cold, or swelteringly hot weather.
Finally, when they’ve become fat enough, after a few months, they are taken to the
slaughter house. Upon arrival, the first step is to electrocute them, or slit their throats so they
Madeline
bleed to death. Supposedly, by the time they reach the butchering station, they are dead or
unconscious. Some cows manage to remain awake and be aware of their guts spilling to the
floor. This only represents part of a several month long life cycle of a beef cow; many other
kinds of animals suffer in similar conditions. These animals are not supposed to be kept in dirty,
crowded cages and inhumanely slaughtered. In a holistic situation, they would be roaming free in
pastures where they can exhibit natural behaviors.
Factory farming also causes health issues. The animals kept in tight, cramped, and
unsanitary conditions are very prone to diseases. These diseases can also pass onto people. The
previous year, we had a health scare about the H1N1 virus, or the “swine flu.” It was a virus that
originated from pigs kept in poor conditions but mutated to affect humans as well.
Other pathogens infect people through undercooking or poor handling of the product.
These include salmonella, E. Coli., and tapeworms. Health Issues are more likely to emerge
within factory farms, than say, an organic farm. These hazards do not go away until you cook the
meat, eggs or milk thoroughly.
Factory farms also have a horrific effect on the environment. Besides mass producing
animals, they also mass produce waste. Imagine all of the manure produced from all of the
tightly packed animals. It contains chemicals, harmful bacteria, and ammonia. According to the
Farm Sanctuary, the waste, known as “slurry” is stored in 25 million gallon pits dug into the
ground. It doesn’t make much for scenery, does it? This form of toxic waste can get into water
supplies and ecosystems since leaks and over flows are very common.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states
and groundwater in 17 states have been permanently contaminated.” That means that some
people receive water that is highly treated with chemicals, just because a local factory farm has
Madeline
irresponsibly disposed of their waste. In addition, we lose thousands of acres of wetlands to
polluted water every year.
Factory farms need a lot of feed to fatten up the livestock. More grain is grown to feed
animals than people. Growing grain depletes our freshwater supply as well as the added need to
water the cows, poultry, and pigs. The amount of energy used in the whole process is an
enormous amount. Fuel is needed to run the facilities. Yet more is needed to grow the grain to
feed the animals as well as to transport them hundreds of miles to be slaughtered.
Despite all of that unpleasantness, there are ways to help stop, or at least slow this
catastrophe. The first and foremost way is to stop eating meat from factory farms. You can tell
the meat came from a factory farm if it is unusually cheap (that’s why you can get a two pound
burger from McDonald’s for only a couple dollars). By buying products from factory farms, you
are only supporting their business. Instead, look for food that is labeled all natural or even better,
organic. Also, check for a label that certifies that the producer of the product is humane. You can
also support humane organizations such as the Farm Sanctuary, through donations. I suggest that
we follow these methods to stop supporting factory farms. The existence of factory farms is a
disaster because they are cruel to livestock, cause health issues, and greatly impact the
environment. By stopping their production, we can help ourselves, the environment, and
especially the animals.
Now that you have heard my speech, I hope everyone will consider what goes onto their
plate and into their mouths more carefully. Speaking of which, do you know where those
vegetables came from?
Thank you!