Factory Farming Turmoil
Although factory farming is the number one source of food in America, it has caused turmoil among many people. Factory farming has caused political debate over many different reasons such as, the environmental effects, the economic effects and the health effects. Although all these problems have risen from factory farming, laws are not being passed to fix the problems.
In October 2009, there was vote of 267 to 147 in the House of Representatives to keep the current laws on studying environmental effects the same. The law at the time stated that no one was allowed to study the effects factory farming had on the environment. This was an outrage to many people because they wanted to know how these factory farming’s where effecting the areas they live and the air they breathe and yet the government was hiding because they knew it was causing negative effects. After the bill was shot down, a petition was brought forth to the EPA saying that the largest factory farms should have to report their emissions of gases, but the congress put a stop to this.
Not only does this affect the environment but it is causing a downward trend with the economy. These “highly mechanized” factory farms are causing a loss in jobs. The more mechanical everything becomes, the less hired hands are needed to work on these farms and this is putting people out of jobs. Family farms are having a harder time surviving because they are being bought out by bigger companies. Over the past 50 years the number of farm workers has dropped 80 percent, which is a very large number considering the heavy reliance America once had on non-factory farms.
A recent bill was passed in 2009, saying that factory farms can only use antibiotics on their animals not for growth, but for disease control and to cure. Although this sounds like a good law, it has its flaws. It allows for the factory farms to claim they are using the growth hormones for health purposes causing the bill to have no effect on the use of antibiotics on factory farm animals. In 2011, the FDA stated that around 80 percent of the antibiotics used in America were for the farm animals. This is an extremely high amount of medicine to be using on animals that we are going to digest.
Although factory farming produces the majority of food eaten in America, it is not worth it. Getting rid of factory farms would allow for a cleaner environment, better economic situations and better health for the animals and the consumer.
In October 2009, there was vote of 267 to 147 in the House of Representatives to keep the current laws on studying environmental effects the same. The law at the time stated that no one was allowed to study the effects factory farming had on the environment. This was an outrage to many people because they wanted to know how these factory farming’s where effecting the areas they live and the air they breathe and yet the government was hiding because they knew it was causing negative effects. After the bill was shot down, a petition was brought forth to the EPA saying that the largest factory farms should have to report their emissions of gases, but the congress put a stop to this.
Not only does this affect the environment but it is causing a downward trend with the economy. These “highly mechanized” factory farms are causing a loss in jobs. The more mechanical everything becomes, the less hired hands are needed to work on these farms and this is putting people out of jobs. Family farms are having a harder time surviving because they are being bought out by bigger companies. Over the past 50 years the number of farm workers has dropped 80 percent, which is a very large number considering the heavy reliance America once had on non-factory farms.
A recent bill was passed in 2009, saying that factory farms can only use antibiotics on their animals not for growth, but for disease control and to cure. Although this sounds like a good law, it has its flaws. It allows for the factory farms to claim they are using the growth hormones for health purposes causing the bill to have no effect on the use of antibiotics on factory farm animals. In 2011, the FDA stated that around 80 percent of the antibiotics used in America were for the farm animals. This is an extremely high amount of medicine to be using on animals that we are going to digest.
Although factory farming produces the majority of food eaten in America, it is not worth it. Getting rid of factory farms would allow for a cleaner environment, better economic situations and better health for the animals and the consumer.