Factory farming

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Factory farming is a term used to describe a set of controversial practices in large-scale, intensive agriculture. These methods are geared to produce the highest output at the lowest cost, and include the use of agrichemicals and veterinary drugs. It often refers to large-scale, industrialized production of livestock, poultry, and fish. The practice is widespread in developed nations—much of the meat, dairy, and eggs available in supermarkets are produced in this manner. Factory farming may also describe farms that grow fruits and vegetables as intensive monoculture crops, and applies to bees for honey production and fur-bearing animals for the fur trade when they are raised in similar intensive conditions.

According to Jennifer Abbott's documentary, A Cow At My Table, the expression factory farming originated within the agricultural industry itself, but it is now primarily used as a pejorative term. In the US, concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), a designation of the Environmental Protection Agency, is the term generally used within the industry and various government regulatory agencies for intensive livestock production; elsewhere, factory farming is also known as "industrial agriculture".

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Origins of factory farming

The practices of large-scale agriculture that are classified as factory farming are the result of various scientific discoveries and technological advances. Innovations in agriculture beginning in the late 1800s generally parallel developments in mass production in other industries that characterized as the Industrial Revolution. The identification of nitrogen and phosphorus as critical factors in plant growth led to the manufacture of synthetic fertilizers, making possible more intensive types of agriculture. The discovery of vitamins and their role in animal nutrition, in the first two decades of the 20th century, led to vitamin supplements, which in the 1920s allowed certain livestock to be raised indoors, without sunlight. The discovery of antibiotics in the 1940s facilitated raising livestock in crowded conditions by reducing disease. Chemicals developed for use in World War II gave rise to synthetic pesticides.

The precise origin of the term, factory farm, is not clear, although the Oxford English Dictionary attributes the first recorded use to an American journal of economics in 1890, while it didn't enter pejorative use until the 1960s<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, Second Ed. - factory</ref>. A 1998 documentary film, A Cow at My Table, showed the term being used within the agricultural industry as descriptive of "factory-like" farming operations. In recent decades, the term has been widely used by environmental and animal rights movements, and thus has a negative connotation, at least in public forums. However, it has also been included in modern dictionaries as simply referring to "large-scale agriculture".

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Factory farming of animals

Operations identified as factory farms are often involved in producing food for human consumption at the lowest unit cost. Certain farming practices are commonly cited when describing an agricultural operation as a factory farm; the scale and intensity of their application are also important factors. These practices may include:

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  • confinement — To save space and improve supervision and feeding operations, animals are confined in pens or cages. In some cases, animals may be confined in small indoor areas, unable to turn around, lie down, or move without contacting other animals. This may increase the incidence of behaviors such as fighting and cannibalism, which may be countered through procedures like debeaking and tail docking.
  • drug programs — Antibiotics, vitamins, hormones, and other supplements are preemptively administered to prevent potential spread of disease and encourage growth.
  • processed feed — Feeds may be processed on site. While traditional feeds such as hay and grain may be fed to animals, recycled and by-product feeds may be added or substituted (e.g.cows may be fed high-protein products such as molasses, beet pulp, and cottonseed meal; calves might be fed a milk replacer formulated from ingredients like whey, soybean proteins, dried milk, or other products, in place of milk). Feeding of processed slaughterhouse waste to cattle (a practice now banned) is thought to have led to the Britain's outbreak of mad cow disease.
  • large numbers of animals — Farms may contain extremely large animal counts.

In the US, this type of business is identified by the federal government as a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), and as such is subject to anti-pollution regulations aimed at protecting groundwater.

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Criticism

Opponents say that factory farming is inhumane,<ref>"Cruelty to Animals: Mechanized Madness", PETA</ref>, poses health risks, and causes environmental damage. Arguments and claims include:

  • disease — Animals raised on antibiotics are breeding antibiotic resistant strains of various bacteria ("superbugs").
  • air and water pollution — Large quantities and concentrations of waste are produced. Lakes, rivers, and groundwater are at risk when animal waste is improperly recycled. Pollutant gases are also emitted. Dust, fly, and odor problems are created for people living in the immediate region.
  • inhumane — Crowding, drugging, and performing surgery on animals. Baby chickens are debeaked hours after birth, commonly by slicing off the beak with a hot blade. Confining hens and pigs in barren environments leads to physical problems such as osteoporosis and joint pain, and also boredom and frustration, as shown by repetitive or self-destructive behaviour known as stereotypes. <ref>"The Welfare of Intensively Kept Pigs - Report of the Scientific Veterinary Committee - Adopted 30 September 1997, European Commission, and "Opinion of the AHAW Panel related to the welfare aspects of various systems of keeping laying hens", European Food Safety Authority (7-Mar-2005)</ref>
  • resource overuse — Large populations of animals require a lot of water and are depleting water resources in some areas.
  • unemployment — As in other industries, increasing labor efficiency results in displacing family farming and altering the rural social infrastructure.
  • low quality food — Mass production of food may lead to uniformity and decreased attention to quality.

Opponents believe that factory farming is responsible for many foodborne illnesses and many of our food safety risks. An estimated one out of every four cattle that enters a slaughterhouse may host toxic forms of the bacteria E. coli, and this is blamed on fecal contamination resulting from closely confined animals wallowing in their own manure. A Consumer Reports study of nearly 500 supermarket chickens found campylobacter in 42 percent and salmonella in 12 percent, with up to 90 percent of the bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Eggs pose a salmonella threat to one out of every 50 people each year. In total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 76 million instances of foodborne illness each year, and more than 5,000 deaths.

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Proponents

Proponents, while they do not use the term factory farming, claim that large-scale, intensive farming is a useful and proven agricultural advance. A variety of advantages are claimed.

  • low cost — Intensive agriculture is necessary to meet demand for affordable food.
  • efficient — Animals in confinement can be supervised more closely than free-ranging animals, and diseased animals can be treated faster.
  • safe — Properly run factory farms meet the government standards for safe and humane food production of the countries in which they are located.
  • industry is responsible and self-regulating — Organizations representing factory farm operators claim to be proactive and self-policing when it comes to improving practices according to the latest food safety and environmental findings. A 2002 article by a representative of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, arguing against increased CAFO regulation, stated, "Poultry growers, largely free of regulatory controls, are managing their litter in an environmentally sound, agronomically beneficial manner."<ref>Starkey, John. CAFO Revisions: Regulation Without Purpose?, WATT PoultryUSA: January 2002.</ref>
  • good for families — Factory farms may be run by families, working together, maintaining an agricultural lifestyle while earning a viable income.

Proponents also dispute the foodborne illness argument. They note the fact that E. coli grows naturally in most mammals, including humans, and that only certain strains of E. coli are potentially hazardous to humans. They also note that diseases naturally occur among chickens and other animals. Properly cooking food can effectively remove risk factors by killing bacteria. Proponents argue that there is widespread demand for a cheap, reliable source of meat, and that consumers are willing to accept the risks associated with factory farming in exchange for inexpensive food.

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Factory farming of plants

Main article (comparative discussion of large-scale, conventional, chemical-based agriculture) at organic farming

Factory farming also at times describes some large produce and grain operations. The general criteria are similar to those for livestock factory farms.

  • large scale — hundreds or thousands of acres of a single crop (much more than can be absorbed into the local or regional market);
  • monoculture — large areas of a single crop, often raised from year to year on the same land, or with little crop rotation;
  • agrichemicals — reliance on imported, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to provide nutrients and to mitigate pests and diseases, these applied on a regular schedule; the use of fertilizer recycled from toxic waste and other hazardous industrial byproducts is common in the US.<ref>Duff, Wilson. "Fear In The Fields -- How Hazardous Wastes Become Fertilizer ...", The Seattle Times: July 3, 1997.</ref>
  • hybrid seed — use of specialized hybrids designed to favor large scale distribution (e.g. ability to ripen off the vine, to withstand shipping and handling);
  • genetically engineered crops — use of GE varieties designed for large scale production (e.g. ability to withstand selected herbicides);
  • large scale irrigation — heavy water use, and in some cases, growing of crops in otherwise unsuitable regions by extreme use of water (e.g. rice paddies on arid land).

Critics of factory farmed crops cite a wide range of concerns, many of which have not been scientifically investigated to any great degree. On the food quality front, it is held by critics that quality is reduced when crops are bred and grown primarily for cosmetic and shipping characteristics. Environmentally, factory farming of crops is claimed to be responsible for loss of biodiversity, degradation of soil quality, soil erosion, food toxicity (pesticide residues) and pollution (through agrichemical build-ups, and use of fossil fuels for agrichemical manufacture and for farm machinery and long-distance distribution).

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Factory farming around the world

Rules and regulations governing agriculture vary by region. Where there is greater public concern over food-related issues, restrictions on farming practices tend to increase. In 2003, a Worldwatch Institute publication stated that "factory farming methods are creating a web of food safety, animal welfare, and environmental problems around the world, as large agribusinesses attempt to escape tighter environmental restrictions in the European Union and the U.S. by moving their animal production operations to less developed countries."<ref>Nierenberg, Danielle. Factory Farming in the Developing World World Watch Magazine: May/June 2003.</ref>

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Social and ethical considerations

Factory farming has extremely vocal opponents, mainly from two broad-based camps, animal rights advocates and environmental activists. These may be considered popular movements, representing a diversity of philosophies, with individual organizations basing their platforms on everything from science to religion. There are groups specifically opposed to factory farming. Other organizations include factory farming as one of their areas of activity over a broader range of concerns.

The organic movement is a somewhat special case in this regard, by defining what is not factory farming. A number of countries, including the United States, the member states of the European Union, and Japan have legislated organic production standards which in practice prohibit factory farming. These detailed regulations cover all aspects of agricultural production, processing, storage and transportation. Requirements such as minimum open pasture area for livestock (e.g. cows may require two acres per animal to meet organic standards) effectively preclude factory farming practices. Organic regulations are, however, in the domain of consumer protection, not agricultural policy, and are entirely voluntary—only producers who wish to market "organic" products need apply. While organic food represents only about 2% of food sales worldwide, some surveys indicate a disproportionately high degree of participation. For example, in the U.S., some recent surveys indicate that upwards of 50% of consumers say they purchase some organic food products on a regular basis, but it is impossible to determine from this the true level of concern over factory farming.

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Alternatives to factory farming

The definition of factory farming is somewhat variable, and the proposed alternatives to factory farming are not sharply defined. In general, critics of factory farming advocate decentralized approaches to food production, such as smaller farms serving local markets, and the reduction or elimination of synthetic agents in agriculture. The most common counter argument is that chemical-based, industrialized farming is necessary in order to feed the billions of humans on the planet. By this reasoning, refinement of existing large-scale agricultural technologies and techniques is the only viable path to change.

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See also

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References

Editors' note: Due to the controversial and current nature of this topic, certain cited sources may be challenged by some as biased and even non-factual. The onus on the individual reader to apply critical thinking, and perhaps to pursue further research on the topic, is likely to be greater here than for many other articles.

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External links

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Government regulation

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Sites critical of factory farming

it:Allevamento intensivo he:חקלאות תעשייתית nl:Bio-industrie uk:Промислове сільське господарство

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