#Piglet factory farming

[terminabense]

  "Factory Farming: Cruelty Impacting Humans, Animals, and the Planet"

Factory farming, the industrialized production of livestock, has dire consequences for humans, animals, and the planet. For animals, it means a life of suffering in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, often without access to natural behaviors or environments. Chickens, pigs, and cows endure unimaginable stress, injuries, and premature deaths, all for the sake of maximizing efficiency and profit.

For humans, factory farming poses significant health risks. The overuse of antibiotics in livestock to promote growth and prevent disease leads to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a serious threat to public health. Workers in these facilities face dangerous conditions, exposure to harmful chemicals, and exploitative labor practices. Furthermore, communities near factory farms suffer from polluted air and water, leading to respiratory problems and other health issues.

Environmentally, factory farming is a major contributor to climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. It generates large amounts of greenhouse gases, particularly methane from cattle, which significantly impacts global warming. Additionally, the industry consumes vast quantities of water and contributes to soil degradation and water pollution through runoff of animal waste and chemicals.

In summary, factory farming's quest for profit comes at an enormous cost to animal welfare, human health, and the environment. Sustainable and humane alternatives are essential for a healthier, more ethical future.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Soon after Vice President Kamala Harris selected Tim Walz as her running mate this week, pictures of the Minnesota governor began to spread across social media—of Walz holding a piglet, of Walz on thrill rides at the state fair, of Walz and his rescue dog.

All of it coalesces into an image of a guy with rural roots and deep ties to agriculture.

Since Harris’ announcement, climate advocates have applauded her pick, pointing to Walz’s solid climate bona fides. Farm groups across the political spectrum, including those that work to shrink agriculture’s carbon footprint, have, too.

During his six terms in Congress, Walz was a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, where he was instrumental in ensuring that soil conservation measures made it into the 2018 farm bill. At the time, the farm bill—the massive piece of legislation that guides the country’s nutrition and farm policy—failed to acknowledge agriculture’s role in contributing to climate change, and barely hinted at its potential role in slowing it.

Walz, who spent his early years working on his family’s farm in rural Nebraska, found a political work-around of sorts. That year he introduced the Strengthening Our Investment in Land (SOIL) Stewardship Act, which boosted existing farm conservation programs and incentivized farms to adopt certain practices that improve soil health, ultimately making soils better able to sequester carbon.

“Even as short a time ago as 2018, the word ‘climate’ does not appear in the farm bill,” said Ferd Hoefner, who was policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition at the time. “He made soil health, through the SOIL Act, the acceptable thing one could talk about when one was trying to talk about climate mitigation through agriculture.”

Hoefner noted that the last time the term climate change appeared in a farm bill was in 1990, an indication of just how polarized and partisan the issue has become in farm policy debates since then. After that, it “was verboten to even mention the word,” he added.

The provisions of the SOIL Stewardship Act were ultimately included in that year’s farm bill. Farm policy observers also point to one of Walz’s biggest farm-related accomplishments, which was introducing bills in 2014 and 2018 that help small-scale, veteran and beginning farmers access credit and funds for land, equipment and crop insurance. Provisions of these bills made it into the final versions of those years’ farm bills.

The Land Stewardship Project, based in Minnesota, has long pushed against the trend of increasing consolidation in agriculture, which has seen the rise of ever-larger farms, mostly run by large corporate entities. This week the council applauded Walz’s record of working against this ongoing shift.

“What we’ve seen through his time in Congress and his time in the governor’s office is that issues around the future of agriculture and rural communities aren’t partisan—they cut across political lines,” said Sean Carroll, policy director at Land Stewardship Action, the organization’s political arm. “Many bills he’s co-sponsored or led are about creating a future for rural communities where we can keep more farmers on the land, where we can allow farmers who are stewarding the land to succeed and make money.”

[devoted1989]

farrowing and gestation crates

On many factory farms, pigs are locked into crates after they become pregnant, where they will remain until after they give birth. Gestation crates are narrow cages made of metal bars barely bigger than an adult pig developed to help farmers run the most efficient animal feeding operation possible.

A standard crate measures 6.6 ft x 2.0 ft (2 m x 60 cm).

The pork industry argues that gestation crates are humane and necessary for production, preventing animals from hurting one another and allowing farmers to monitor their health closely.

Sows remain inside gestation crates for the entirety of their pregnancies- a little under four months. The sow is then moved to a farrowing crate for about three weeks to wean her babies.

Farrowing crates and gestation crates are very similar in design. Their primary difference is the timing of their use: gestation crates are used during pregnancy and farrowing crates are used after a mother has given birth. Farrowing crates also have a small opening on one side that allows piglets to suckle.

After a brief recovery period, the mother pig is then impregnated again, and the cycle begins anew. 

Sows give birth to 2 - 3 litters a year for around 3 years after which they are slaughtered.

In most U.S. states gestation crates and farrowing crates are legal. 

Source: Sentient Media.

Image found on Facebook - Words on Life. The pig’s babies can be seen on the right hand side of the image.

[pigs-in-art]

Julia and her Piglet by Bronwen Skye

Julia was rescued from a factory farm and now resides at Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York. Here she is with one of her piglets, whom she adores!

[ovaruling]

if you eat animal products and believe it is right and natural to purchase them from the grocery store where they come from factory farms then you should have to watch graphic footage of those farms and the slaughterhouses and dairy farms and egg farms each and every time you eat them.

you should have to watch the torture, the fear, hear the screams, watch the violent rape, see the blood, see the slow dying, see the calves and piglets hanging out of their mothers’ vaginas in tiny pens where they can’t move.

you should have to hear the stolen and starving calves wailing for their mothers behind a fence so that their mothers will give milk that that calf will never get to have, see the chickens pecking each other to death in their “cage-free” locally-sourced tiny barns.

cuz that’s what would happen in this Wild that you all keep talking about that you all seem to know so well, isn’t it? you should have to see it happen each time you put something animal in your mouth. you’re the predator after all, right? that’s what predators see when they eat—they see the process from start to finish. you should, too. it shouldn’t bother you to watch that anew every single time you eat. do your part. walk the walk. don’t be a fucking coward.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Marina Bolotnikova at Vox:

Every five years, farm state politicians in Congress perform their fealty to Big Ag in a peculiar ritual called the Farm Bill: a massive, must-pass package of legislation that dictates food and farming policy in the US. 

At the urging of the pork industry, congressional Republicans want to use this year’s bill to undo what little progress the US has made in improving conditions for animals raised on factory farms. The House Agriculture Committee late last month advanced a GOP-led Farm Bill with a rider designed to nullify California’s Proposition 12 — a landmark ballot measure, passed by an overwhelming majority in that state in 2018, banning extreme farm animal confinement — and prevent other states from enacting similar laws.  Prop 12, along with a comparable law in Massachusetts passed by ballot measure in 2016, outlaws the sale of pork produced using gestation crates — devices that represent perhaps the pinnacle of factory farm torture. While many of the tools of factory farming are the product of biotech innovation, gestation crates are deceptively low-tech: They’re simply small cages that immobilize mother pigs, known as sows, who serve as the pork industry’s reproductive machines.  Sows spend their lives enduring multiple cycles of artificial insemination and pregnancy while caged in spaces barely larger than their bodies. It is the equivalent to living your entire, short life pregnant and trapped inside a coffin. 

Ian Duncan, an emeritus chair in animal welfare at the University of Guelph in Canada, has called gestation crates “one of the cruelest forms of confinement devised by humankind.” And yet they’re standard practice in the pork industry.  While Prop 12 has been celebrated as one of the strongest farm animal protection laws in the world, its provisions still fall far short of giving pigs a humane life. It merely requires providing enough space for the sows to be able to turn around and stretch their legs. It still allows the use of farrowing crates, cages similar to gestation crates that confine sows and their nursing piglets for a few weeks after birth. And about 40 percent of pork sold in California is exempt; Prop 12 covers only whole, uncooked cuts, like bacon or ribs, but not ground pork or pre-cooked pork in products like frozen pizzas.  The pork lobby refuses to accept even those modest measures and has sought to link Prop 12 to the agenda of “animal rights extremists.” It has also claimed that the law would put small farms out of business and lead to consolidation, even though it is the extreme confinement model favored by mega factory farms that has driven the skyrocketing level of consolidation seen in the pork industry over the last few

For nearly six years, instead of taking steps to comply with Prop 12, pork lobbyists sued to get the law struck down. They lost at every turn. Last year, the US Supreme Court rejected the industry’s argument that it had a constitutional right to sell meat raised “in ways that are intolerable to the average consumer,” as legal scholars Justin Marceau and Doug Kysar put it. 

[...]

Overturning Prop 12 would be extreme, and it could have far-reaching consequences

Several other states have gestation crate bans, but the California and Massachusetts laws are unique because they outlaw not just the use of crates within those states’ borders, but also the sale of pork produced using gestation crates anywhere in the world. Both states import almost all of their pork from bigger pork-producing states (the top three are Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina), so the industry has argued that Prop 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3 unfairly burden producers outside their borders. California in particular makes up about 13 percent of US pork consumption, threatening to upend the industry’s preferred way of doing business for a big chunk of the market. 

The California and Massachusetts laws also ban the sale of eggs and veal from animals raised in extreme cage confinement. Both industries opposed Prop 12 before it passed but have largely complied with the law; neither has put up the fierce legal fight that the pork industry has, led by Big Meat lobbying groups like the National Pork Producers Council, the North American Meat Institute, and the American Farm Bureau Federation. 

House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA), who introduced this year’s House Farm Bill last month, touts “addressing Proposition 12” as a core priority. The legislation includes a narrowed version of the EATS Act (short for Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression), a bill introduced by Republicans in both chambers last year to ban states from setting their own standards for the production of any agricultural products, animal or vegetable, imported from other states. 

The Farm Bill language has been tightened to focus solely on livestock, banning states from setting standards for how animal products imported from other states are raised. It is less extreme only in comparison to the sweeping EATS Act, but also more transparent about its aim to shield the meat industry from accountability. At the Farm Bill markup on May 23, when the legislation passed committee, Thompson urged his colleagues to protect the livestock industry from “inside-the-beltway animal welfare activists.”  The provisions slipped into the Farm Bill may have consequences that reach far beyond the humane treatment of animals. They “could hamstring the ability of states to regulate not just animal welfare but also the sale of meat and dairy products produced from animals exposed to disease, with the use of certain harmful animal drugs, or through novel biotechnologies like cloning, as well as adjacent production standards involving labor, environmental, or cleanliness conditions,” Kelley McGill, a legislative policy fellow at Harvard’s Animal Law & Policy Program who authored an influential report last year on the potential impacts of the EATS Act, told me in an email. 

[...]

Why this Farm Bill faces long odds

Despite the monumental effort from the pork lobby and its allies, the odds of this year’s Farm Bill nullifying Prop 12 appear slim. Democrats, who control the Senate, oppose the House bill’s proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which makes up about 80 percent of the bill’s $1.5 trillion in spending, and its removal of so-called climate-smart conditions from farm subsidies made available by the Inflation Reduction Act. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, on the other hand, are likely to demand steeper cuts to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. 

The broader EATS Act has been opposed by more than 200 members of Congress, including more than 100 Democratic representatives and several members of the Freedom Caucus; Prop 12 nullification language is not included in the rival Senate Farm Bill framework introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Many lawmakers and other observers consider the House bill dead on arrival, which would mean that a Farm Bill may not get passed until 2025.  Prop 12’s pork regulations, meanwhile, took full effect in California at the start of this year after two years of delay due to the industry’s legal challenges. After implementation, prices for pork products covered by the law abruptly increased by about 20 percent on average, a spike that UC Davis agricultural economist Richard Sexton attributes to the pork producers’ reluctance to convert their farms to gestation crate-free before they knew whether Prop 12 would be upheld by the Supreme Court. 

House Republicans want to use the Farm Bill to push back against even modest improvements for animals in factory farms.

[blubushie]

i think alot of vegans have a tendency to... antromorphize animals to a concerning degree. they don't have a concept of death and morality like we do, so it's pointless to guilt trip people with pictures of puppies or kittens looking sadly into the camera with an equally guilt trippy caption like "remember, if you still use animal products, their blood is on your hands!!" like girl that cat dgaf

I respectfully disagree on one part of this—animals DO have a concept of death, they just don't have cultures around it like we do. This is obvious especially when you work with stock like cattle or sheep but especially horses, who are Constantly Afraid Everything Is Deadly. Horses are the most anxious fucking animal on the bloody planet, rivalled only by cheetahs. Maybe.

This is why it's so important to socialise and desensitise your stock to people. It's one of the reasons factory farms are inhumane—no animal in a factory farm is going into an abattoir unafraid. There's simply too many animals for them to be properly desensitised by their handlers. And unlike slaughter in the bush, an abattoir requires handling and restriction of the animal's movements for the bolt to be properly placed. I can only imagine how terrifying it is to be brought to an unfamiliar environment and hearing the cries of the confused and anxious animals behind you as you're restrained and a boltgun is brought to your head. Cattle often need a second hit of the bolt because they're thrashing too much for proper placement of the first hit. That's fear.

But with animals like horses, or animals who are on small family farms, those animals are being worked with one-on-one often. They don't fear their handlers, and often don't fear strangers either. They're treated by veterinarians or by the handler themselves. Instead of standoffish, these animals are friendly. If you poke and prod at them they're calm. If you lead a pig out for slaughter, it goes freely. And when you kill it, it doesn't die afraid. This is how animals should die in meat production. This is what desensitisation means. This is why I encourage people to buy locally.

I'm not gonna lie and say our stock ever liked us. They were free-range cattle. We couldn't work with them one on one, they practically lived feral, so they were largely afraid. They weren't animals you could go up and pet because to them, we were massive predators who were dangerous, and everything with a brain fears death, or fears pain. Even if they don't understand what death even is, there is something instinctual inside them telling them to be afraid.

Sheep are often more relaxed—by the time slaughter happens, they've been sheared a few times and are at least familiar somewhat with people. Additionally they're more easily restrained and manoeuvred than cattle, which means we can get the process over much faster.

My concern with factory conditions have never been so much slaughter except the MEANS of slaughter. For example, chooks and other birds not always being dead when they hit the broiler. Or cattle being so terrified that they can't sit still for the bolt, same with pigs, or workers being improperly trained and therefore getting inconsistent bolt placement. Much of this is remedied with things like blinds (which prevent the animals from seeing you and panicking about it) and more efficient training. Other than that, my concerns are largely environmental—the conditions the animals are living in before slaughter, and how instances of animal cruelty are often excused or looked over even when caught on film (see: workers kicking birds or piglets).

Those kinds of advertisements are meant to prey on people's guilt. Oft they completely miss the target—dogs and cats are rarely used in any kind of animal product. At most there's lab beagles. Rabbits and mice are used in testing—speaking of which, despite mice being so similar physically and neurologically to humans, I have NEVER seen ARAs advocate for lab mice. Just rabbits, often against the beauty industry. I wonder why lab mice are looked over in favour of the cute bunny rabbits...

Almost like ARAs only give a shit about animals when they're cute. Like how it's fine to kill sea fish with their pleather microplastics, or drive reptiles and other animals to exinction by greenwashing deserts to grow their water-dense foods... But god forbid you eat a cow and use its durable hide that'll last you hundreds of years.

[head-post]

Italy battles swine fever

Giovanni Airoli had one of his sows test positive for African swine fever at the end of August. Within a week, all 6,200 sows, piglets and fattening pigs on his farm south of Milan were slaughtered under strict protocols to stop the disease threatening Italy’s €20bn prosciutto, cured sausages and pork industry.

Since swine plague appeared on the peninsula in January 2022, nearly 120,000 pigs have been slaughtered in Italy – three-quarters of them in the last two months alone as the emergency intensified.

A total of 24 pig farms with a total of more than 100,000 pigs have been affected so far this year, according to an Italian health ministry report on September 20.

“It’s a desolation,” Airoli said as he left his farm in the northern region of Lombardy, which is ground zero of Italy’s swine fever epidemic. No one but workers are allowed in here, and that under strict hygiene protocols that require clean overalls and boots only indoors. Airoli also added:

“It happened to us despite applying all of the safety measures required. There was obviously a failure. We don’t understand what it could have been.”

We’re losing delicacies

The area of greatest concern, where the disease has been confirmed in domestic pigs, spans 4,500 square kilometres (almost 1,740 square miles) and includes neighbouring Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna.

Pig farmers have warned that the plague threatens the €8.2bn prosciutto, sausage and pork delicatessen industry. Prosciutto is considered a national treasure – it is an Italian ham made from ham rubbed with salt. No other ingredients are added.

The effects of the rinderpest outbreak are spreading further. Farmers in the 23,000 square kilometres (8,880 square miles) area are also facing restrictions because of infected wild boars or because they fall into the buffer zone.

New restrictions in swine fever fight

Coldiretti, Italy’s influential agricultural lobby group, estimates the damage to the industry so far at 500 million euros ($554 million), partly due to the import ban, and warns that some farmers risk losing their livelihoods. Experts estimate the sector generates 20 billion euros ($22 billion) across the supply chain, from farms where pigs are raised to factories where hams are cured. Confindustria President Ettore Prandini wrote in a recent letter to the agriculture minister:

“The spread of swine fever has reached alarming levels, putting at risk not just the health of the animals but of the entire pork sector.” 

Over the summer, the government appointed a new special commissioner to fight the epidemic, who is Giovanni Filippini, an experienced veterinarian and long-time head of Italy’s animal health authority, who eradicated swine fever on the island of Sardinia.

The previous two commissioners had focused on sending the army to hunt wild boars, which drew opposition from sport hunters and the EU, which emphasised that hunting risked sending infected animals into new areas.

Instead, Filippini imposed new restrictions on access to farms and animal movements, and expanded buffer zones – measures that appear to be having an impact. In Lombardy, only one new outbreak was reported in the last full week of September. Giovanni Loris Alborali, director of the Institute of Animal Health of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, said:

“It is a positive sign, but not yet a victory. We must keep the sanitation high and this will help the animals’ health with better growth rates for farmers and fewer antibiotics for consumers in the future.”

Highly contagious viral disease

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease, usually resulting in 100 per cent mortality in domestic and wild pigs. There is no treatment for the disease. Wild boars are the natural reservoir of ASF. The infection causes fever, vomiting, diarrhoea with blood in pigs and wild boars.

The ASF virus poses no danger to humans, although scientists do not rule out that it can mutate.

Read more HERE

[redid-csc]

Factory Farm Animal Cruelty: A Hidden Epidemic

Factory farming, also known as industrial animal agriculture, has become the dominant method of producing meat, dairy, and eggs worldwide. While this system is highly efficient in terms of output, the consequences for the animals raised within it are dire. The primary focus of factory farming is profit, often at the expense of animal welfare, leading to widespread Factory farm animal cruelty endure lives of unimaginable suffering, confined in cramped spaces, subjected to painful procedures, and ultimately slaughtered in ways that raise serious ethical concerns.

Confinement and Deprivation

One of the most significant issues with factory farming is the extreme confinement of animals. Chickens, pigs, cows, and other livestock are kept in cages or crates that severely restrict their movement. For instance, egg-laying hens are commonly housed in battery cages, each hen given less space than a standard sheet of paper. These cages prevent the birds from spreading their wings or engaging in any natural behaviors such as nesting or dust bathing. Pigs, particularly breeding sows, often spend most of their lives in gestation crates, so small that they cannot turn around.

This lack of movement and mental stimulation leads to intense stress and frustration in the animals. Chickens in battery cages, for example, often resort to feather pecking and cannibalism due to the overcrowded and unnatural environment. In response, farmers may trim or burn off part of the chickens’ beaks, a painful process that deprives the animals of a vital sensory organ.

Similarly, cows raised for dairy production are kept in confined spaces and are often hooked up to milking machines multiple times a day. The intense milk production they are forced into causes painful udder infections, known as mastitis. For these animals, life is a monotonous cycle of confinement and production, often leading to both physical and psychological suffering.

Physical Mutilations

In addition to being confined, animals on factory farms often endure painful mutilations. These procedures are conducted without any pain relief and are designed solely to maximize productivity or prevent damage to the animals' bodies due to the harsh conditions of the farm.

For example, chickens raised for meat, known as broilers, are genetically bred to grow unnaturally fast. As a result, many suffer from skeletal problems, heart failure, and other health issues because their bodies cannot keep up with the rapid growth rate. To prevent injuries or fights in the overcrowded conditions, these chickens may have their beaks and toes trimmed, causing long-lasting pain.

Pigs are also mutilated in factory farming systems. Piglets often have their tails docked, teeth clipped, and males are castrated—all without anesthesia. Tail docking is done to prevent tail-biting, a common behavior among pigs confined in stressful, overcrowded environments. Castration is performed to prevent "boar taint," an undesirable odor in the meat of mature male pigs, but this process causes significant pain and distress.

Cows raised for meat and dairy production often have their horns removed, a process known as dehorning or disbudding. Horns are removed to prevent injuries in close confinement, but the procedure is excruciating for the animals, especially when performed without anesthetics.

The Psychological Toll

The psychological suffering of animals on factory farms is often overlooked but is just as damaging as the physical abuse they endure. Many animals, particularly pigs and chickens, are highly intelligent creatures capable of complex emotions, including fear, pain, and distress. However, factory farms treat them as mere production units, disregarding their emotional needs.

Pigs, for instance, are known to be as intelligent as dogs, with the ability to form social bonds and solve complex problems. In factory farms, they are denied any opportunity to engage in natural behaviors like rooting, exploring, or socializing. The constant stress and frustration lead to abnormal behaviors such as tail biting, aggression, and even self-harm.

Chickens are similarly complex animals with the ability to form social hierarchies and communicate with one another. In the crowded, stressful environments of factory farms, they are often forced to compete for space and resources, leading to aggressive pecking and fighting. The beak trimming mentioned earlier is a response to these conditions but does nothing to address the root cause of the animals’ suffering: extreme overcrowding and lack of enrichment.

The Journey to Slaughter

The cruelty of factory farming does not end with the animals’ daily lives. When they are no longer productive or have reached slaughter weight, they are transported to slaughterhouses in conditions that are equally, if not more, horrific. Transport to slaughter often involves long journeys in overcrowded trucks, where animals are exposed to extreme temperatures, lack of food and water, and rough handling.

Many animals die en route to slaughter due to the harsh conditions, a phenomenon known as "dead on arrival." Those that survive the journey are then subjected to further stress and fear at the slaughterhouse. Although laws exist in many countries requiring animals to be stunned before slaughter to minimize suffering, these laws are often poorly enforced. As a result, many animals are slaughtered while fully conscious, enduring excruciating pain as they are killed.

Environmental and Human Health Consequences

Factory farming is not only cruel to animals, but it also has significant negative impacts on the environment and human health. The massive scale of factory farms leads to the overuse of natural resources, pollution, and the destruction of ecosystems. For example, the enormous amounts of waste produced by factory farms can contaminate water sources, leading to harmful algal blooms and the destruction of aquatic life.

Additionally, the use of antibiotics in factory farming to prevent disease in overcrowded conditions contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. When antibiotics are overused in animals, bacteria can develop resistance, rendering these drugs less effective in treating human illnesses. This poses a serious threat to global public health.

Ethical Alternatives and Solutions

The cruelty of factory farming is undeniable, but there are steps that can be taken to reduce animal suffering and promote more ethical farming practices. One of the most effective solutions is to support farms that prioritize animal welfare, such as free-range, pasture-based, or organic farms. These farming methods allow animals to engage in natural behaviors, such as grazing, rooting, and nesting, and provide them with more space and better living conditions.

Reducing the demand for factory-farmed products is another powerful way to combat animal cruelty. Consumers can choose to reduce their consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs or opt for plant-based alternatives. The rise of plant-based meat substitutes and lab-grown meat offers a promising future where the demand for factory-farmed animal products could diminish, leading to less suffering for animals.

Governments also play a crucial role in addressing factory farm cruelty. Stricter animal welfare laws and regulations, better enforcement of existing laws, and incentives for farmers to adopt more humane practices can all contribute to reducing the suffering of animals on factory farms.

Conclusion

Factory farm animal cruelty is a hidden epidemic that affects billions of animals worldwide. The extreme confinement, physical mutilations, psychological suffering, and brutal slaughter methods that characterize factory farming raise serious ethical concerns. While the industrial agriculture system may be efficient in terms of production, the cost in terms of animal suffering is too high to ignore. By making more ethical choices, supporting humane farming practices, and advocating for stronger animal welfare laws, we can work toward a future where factory farm cruelty is a thing of the past.

[loudtravelerlight]

Animal Cruelty in Factory Farms: Unveiling the Harsh Reality Behind Mass Meat Production

Introduction

Animal cruelty in Factory Farms is a significant issue that raises ethical, environmental, and health concerns. Factory farms, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), prioritize efficiency and profit over the well-being of animals, often subjecting them to horrific conditions. This article explores the realities of factory farming, the impact on animals, and the broader implications of this practice on society.

The Rise of Factory Farming

The advent of factory farming is closely tied to the growing demand for meat, dairy, and eggs in the global food market. As consumer demand increased, so did the need for a more efficient system of food production. Factory farms emerged as a solution to meet these demands, where animals are raised in confinement, often in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. The focus on maximizing productivity and minimizing costs has led to a system where animal welfare is often neglected.

Living Conditions in Factory Farms

The living conditions in factory farms are typically harsh and inhumane. Animals are often kept in overcrowded spaces where they can barely move, let alone exhibit natural behaviors. For instance, chickens in egg-laying facilities are often confined to battery cages so small that they cannot spread their wings. Pigs are frequently kept in gestation crates, where they are unable to turn around. Cows raised for dairy are often subjected to repeated pregnancies and suffer from lameness and other health issues due to being confined on hard surfaces for extended periods.

These conditions lead to immense physical and psychological suffering. Animals in factory farms often experience extreme stress, frustration, and fear. The lack of space, fresh air, and natural light, combined with the constant exposure to disease and filth, results in a life of misery for these animals.

Cruel Practices in Factory Farms

Beyond the living conditions, factory farms employ various cruel practices to maximize productivity. For example, chickens often undergo "debeaking," where a portion of their beak is removed to prevent them from pecking each other in the stressful, crowded environment. Similarly, piglets often have their tails docked without anesthesia to prevent tail-biting, a behavior that arises from the stress of confinement.

In the dairy industry, calves are often separated from their mothers shortly after birth, causing immense distress to both the mother and the calf. Male calves, which are of little use to the dairy industry, are often slaughtered at a young age or sold for veal production, where they endure further cruelty.

Health Implications for Animals and Humans

The unsanitary and stressful conditions in factory farms not only cause suffering for the animals but also pose significant health risks. Animals in these environments are prone to infections and diseases due to the close quarters and lack of proper care. To combat this, factory farms often rely on antibiotics to prevent disease outbreaks and promote growth, leading to the overuse of antibiotics in the industry.

This overuse of antibiotics contributes to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which poses a serious threat to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that antibiotic resistance could become one of the most significant health challenges of the 21st century. Additionally, the spread of zoonotic diseases, which can jump from animals to humans, is a concern in factory farming due to the poor conditions in which animals are kept.

Environmental Impact of Factory Farming

Factory farming is not only cruel to animals but also has severe environmental consequences. The large amounts of waste produced by these operations can contaminate water sources and contribute to air pollution. The excessive use of resources, such as water and grain, to feed animals in factory farms also strains the environment. Moreover, factory farming is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, which exacerbates climate change.

The environmental degradation caused by factory farming ultimately affects human communities as well. Contaminated water supplies and air pollution can lead to serious health problems for people living near these operations.

Ethical Considerations and Public Awareness

The ethical implications of factory farming are profound. The treatment of animals as mere commodities raises fundamental questions about humanity's relationship with other living beings. Many argue that the cruelty inherent in factory farming is a violation of animals' basic rights and that society has a moral obligation to treat animals with compassion and respect.

Public awareness of the cruelty in factory farms has grown in recent years, thanks in part to undercover investigations and campaigns by animal rights organizations. These efforts have shed light on the grim realities of factory farming and have prompted calls for reform. Many consumers are now more conscious of the sources of their food and are choosing to support more humane and sustainable farming practices.

Alternatives to Factory Farming

Several alternatives to factory farming exist that prioritize animal welfare and environmental sustainability. These include pasture-based farming, organic farming, and regenerative agriculture. In pasture-based systems, animals are allowed to roam freely and engage in natural behaviors, resulting in a better quality of life. Organic farming practices prohibit the use of antibiotics and synthetic chemicals, reducing the environmental impact and promoting healthier animals.

Another emerging alternative is plant-based and lab-grown meat, which eliminates the need for raising and slaughtering animals altogether. These innovations are gaining popularity as consumers become more aware of the ethical and environmental issues associated with factory farming.

Conclusion

Animal cruelty in Factory Farms is a pressing issue that cannot be ignored. The inhumane treatment of animals, coupled with the environmental and health implications, calls for urgent action. By supporting more humane and sustainable farming practices, consumers can play a crucial role in reducing animal suffering and promoting a healthier, more ethical food system. It is time for society to recognize the true cost of factory farming and make choices that reflect compassion and respect for all living beings.

[devoted1989]

This week is farm animal awareness week

What’s wrong about factory farms?

While it might be tempting to believe the meat on your plate comes from an idyllic childhood version of a family farm the reality is very different.Today the vast majority of our meat and eggs come from large - scale operations, what are often called “factory farms.” In the U.S., more than 21 000 of these industrial operations raise billions of animals each year to satisfy our insatiable demand for cheap meat and eggs.

So just what is a factory farm? And why is the most common source for meat and dairy in this country so bad for animals? Factory farms were created on the assumption that the ‘factory’ concept could be applied to animal farming.

It refers to a method of breeding and raising farmed animals for food with the goal of maximizing production and minimizing costs.

This approach comes at the expense of animals, who are treated as commodities. To house such a large number of animals, these farms intensively confine them to small spaces such as cages or crates. They are unable to carry out their natural behaviours. Most spend their lives inside a shed - never to feel the sunlight or breathe fresh air. This is the reality for farmed animals used for meat, dairy and eggs.

On factory farms, animals live brief lives filled with cruelty and suffering. Pigs and chickens live as long as just a few weeks to several months. Dairy cows live longer, but spend most of their lives standing for hours on concrete floors.

Here are some of the most striking examples of animal suffering on factory farms:

1. Male calves are surplus to the dairy industry

About half of all calves born on dairy farms are killed simply because they are born male and can’t produce milk. These unwanted male calves are slaughtered for veal at anywhere from a couple of weeks to just under a year old.  Others are sold at auction - destined for feedlots, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

2. Cages the size of a piece of paper

In the U.S., around 80 percent of layer hens are still kept in battery cages typically sized anywhere from 67 to 86 square inches per bird or less than a standard sized sheet of printer paper.

3. Chickens used for meat can hardly stand

In 1920 the average chicken was slaughtered at 112 days old weighing just over 2 pounds. Fast forward and the average chicken is now slaughtered at around only 47 days but now weighing nearly 6 pounds. That rapid growth and extreme size can eventually cause chickens raised for meat, also called “broiler chickens,” to become unable to stand on their own. 

4. Mutilations are common on egg and pig farms

In the U.S., baby piglets are typically castrated and their tails are docked to prevent tail - biting outbreaks at just a few days old — without anesthesia. Overcrowding, forced - lighting and unnatural feeding causes a great deal of stress to factory chickens. These otherwise peaceful birds start attacking and hurting each other. To minimise this behaviour farmers routinely cut off the chicken’s beak. This practice is called ‘debeaking’. Debeaked birds suffer acute and chronic pain in their beaks, heads and faces.

5. Pregnant pigs are confined to small stalls

The standard housing system for pregnant pigs are gestation crates usually 7 ft by 2 ft. These crates provide only enough space for the animal to stand, sit and lay down but not enough room to turn around. About a week before she is due to give birth, the mother pig is moved to a farrowing crate that allows her piglets access for feeding, yet these are no bigger. The pork industry continues to insist farrowing crates are necessary to prevent mother pigs from crushing their piglets, despite the existence alternative systems. 

6. Male chicks are redundant to the egg industry

They are killed on the day they hatch. Worldwide, around 7 billion male chicks are culled each year in the egg industry.

If you want to reduce the amount of suffering caused by what’s on your plate, choose peace - choose vegan.

Sources: Sentient Media and Animal Equality.

Images with kind permission from Lindsay Leigh Lewis.

@lindsayleighart

[vegetablegardens454]

The Hidden Cruelty in Pig Farming

Pig farming, a cornerstone of the global agricultural industry, is marred by widespread practices that cause significant suffering to these intelligent and sentient animals. Despite advancements in animal welfare awareness, the conditions under which pigs are bred, raised, and slaughtered often remain deeply distressing. This article delves into the various aspects of cruelty inherent in pig farming, from birth to slaughter, and explores the ethical implications and potential solutions. Pig farming cruelty

Confinement and Living Conditions

The majority of pigs are raised in intensive farming systems, often referred to as factory farms. In these environments, pigs are confined to small, barren spaces with little room to move, let alone engage in natural behaviors. Sows, or mother pigs, are particularly affected by this practice. They are often kept in gestation crates, narrow metal enclosures that restrict movement to the point where the pigs cannot even turn around. This confinement leads to physical and psychological stress, manifesting in behaviors such as bar biting and repetitive movements indicative of severe distress.

Physical Mutilations

To manage the behavior of pigs in such unnatural conditions, farmers often resort to physical mutilations. Procedures such as tail docking, teeth clipping, and castration are commonly performed without the use of anesthetics or pain relief. Tail docking, where a portion of the pig's tail is removed, is intended to prevent tail biting, a behavior stemming from the stress and boredom of confinement. Teeth clipping is done to reduce injuries when piglets fight or nurse. Castration, usually performed to prevent the development of undesirable flavors in the meat, involves the removal of the testes and is done without any pain mitigation, causing immense suffering.

Disease and Mortality

The overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in factory farms create a breeding ground for diseases. Respiratory problems, gastrointestinal issues, and infections are rampant. Antibiotics are often administered routinely to entire herds, not only to treat illnesses but also as a preventative measure and growth promoter. This overuse of antibiotics has raised serious concerns about antibiotic resistance, a significant public health threat.

High mortality rates among piglets are another grim reality of pig farming. Many piglets die from crushing, starvation, or disease within the first weeks of life. Those that survive often endure a harsh weaning process, being separated from their mothers far earlier than they would naturally wean, which causes further stress and health issues.

Transport and Slaughter

The cruelty does not end at the farm. The transport of pigs to slaughterhouses is often a harrowing experience. Pigs are loaded onto trucks, frequently over long distances, without adequate food, water, or ventilation. The stress of transport can lead to injuries, dehydration, and even death.

At the slaughterhouse, pigs face further suffering. Although there are regulations intended to ensure humane slaughter, these are not always effectively enforced. Methods intended to render pigs unconscious before slaughter, such as electric stunning or gas chambers, do not always work correctly, resulting in animals being conscious and able to feel pain when they are killed.

Ethical Considerations and Alternatives

The cruelty in pig farming raises profound ethical questions about the treatment of animals in the pursuit of food production. Pigs are intelligent, social animals capable of experiencing pain and suffering. The conditions under which they are farmed are often far removed from the public’s perception of humane treatment.

Efforts to address these issues include advocating for better welfare standards, supporting farms that employ humane practices, and promoting plant-based diets to reduce reliance on animal agriculture. Organizations and individuals are working to raise awareness about the realities of pig farming and encourage consumers to make more ethical choices.

Conclusion

Pig farming, as it is practiced on a large scale today, involves significant cruelty at nearly every stage of the animal's life. From the cramped conditions of factory farms to the painful mutilations and the distressing experiences of transport and slaughter, pigs endure a great deal of suffering. Addressing these issues requires a collective effort to enforce stricter welfare regulations, support humane farming practices, and consider the ethical implications of our dietary choices. As awareness grows, there is hope that the future of pig farming can be more compassionate and respectful towards these sentient beings. Pig farming cruelty

[rimaakter45]

The Shocking Truth Behind Animal Cruelty: A Closer Look at the Dark Reality of Factory Farms

Animal cruelty is a pervasive issue in society, with factory farms being one of the primary locations where it occurs. These facilities are designed to maximize efficiency and profit, often at the expense of animal welfare. The conditions in factory farms are so appalling that they have been likened to torture chambers for animals.

One of the most common forms of animal Cruelty.Farm is overcrowding. Animals are often crammed into small, filthy spaces with no room to move or exercise. This leads to stress, aggression, and the spread of diseases. Pigs, for example, are kept in overcrowded pens where they are unable to move or engage in natural behaviors such as rooting and socializing. This can lead to severe mental and physical health issues, including high levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) and respiratory problems.

Another disturbing aspect of factory farms is the use of confinement systems such as crates and cages. These restrictive enclosures are used to control the movement of animals and prevent them from engaging in natural behaviors. For example, mother pigs are often kept in gestation crates – metal enclosures barely larger than their own bodies – for their entire lives. They are unable to turn around, lie down comfortably, or even interact with their piglets. This causes immense suffering and emotional distress for the animals.

In addition to overcrowding and confinement, factory farms also engage in cruel practices such as mutilation and dehorning without anesthesia. Animals are often subjected to painful procedures such as tail docking, debeaking, and castration without any pain relief. This not only causes physical pain and trauma but also leads to lasting psychological damage.

Furthermore, the use of hormones and antibiotics in factory farming is a major cause of concern. Animals are routinely fed growth hormones and antibiotics to promote rapid growth and prevent disease outbreaks. This can lead to a range of health issues in animals, including antibiotic resistance and hormonal imbalances. These substances also end up in the meat products consumed by humans, posing serious health risks.

The environmental impact of factory farming is also significant, with large-scale operations contributing to pollution, deforestation, and climate change. The overuse of resources such as water and land, as well as the production of methane gas from animal waste, has a devastating effect on the environment. Factory farms are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and are causing irreparable damage to our planet.

Despite the widespread cruelty and environmental destruction caused by factory farming, the industry continues to thrive due to its profitability and political influence. However, there is a growing movement of individuals and organizations working to expose the truth behind factory farms and advocate for change.

Consumers can make a difference by choosing to support ethical and sustainable food practices, such as purchasing products from local farms, choosing plant-based alternatives, and reducing their meat consumption. By raising awareness and demanding accountability from the agricultural industry, we can put an end to the cruel practices of factory farming and create a more compassionate world for both animals and humans.

https://writeupcafe.com/the-ugly-truth-cruelty-on-farms-revealed/

https://www.bloglovin.com/@rimaakter9/heartwarming-work-humane-foundation-changing-12601122

[willamtomas]

The Silent Suffering: Unveiling Animal Cruelty in Factory Farms

Animal cruelty within factory farms is an issue that often remains hidden behind closed doors, shielded from public view. Yet, the reality is far from pleasant. The industrialization of agriculture has led to the mass production of meat, dairy, and eggs, but it has also normalized practices that subject animals to unimaginable suffering. From overcrowded and unsanitary conditions to painful mutilations without anesthesia, the plight of animals in factory farms demands attention and action.

One of the most concerning aspects of factory farming is the severe overcrowding of animals. Picture rows upon rows of cages packed with chickens, pigs confined to tiny crates barely larger than their bodies, and cows standing shoulder to shoulder in filthy feedlots. These animals are deprived of space to move freely, leading to stress, aggression, and injuries. The lack of space also exacerbates the spread of diseases, prompting the routine use of antibiotics, which contributes to the global issue of antimicrobial resistance.

Moreover, factory farms often prioritize profit over animal welfare, leading to cruel practices such as debeaking, tail docking, and castration—all performed without pain relief. Beak trimming in chickens, for example, is done to prevent pecking injuries in crowded conditions, yet the procedure involves slicing off a portion of the bird's sensitive beak, causing acute pain and long-term suffering. Similarly, piglets have their tails docked and teeth clipped to prevent tail-biting and aggression, a painful process that can lead to chronic pain and infection.

The conditions in which these animals are kept are not only physically distressing but also mentally debilitating. Chickens, for instance, are highly social animals that thrive in small groups, yet they are often housed in cramped, windowless sheds with tens of thousands of birds. This unnatural environment can lead to behavioral abnormalities such as feather pecking and cannibalism, prompting farmers to resort to further mutilations or even the use of debeaking machines.

Furthermore, the journey from farm to slaughterhouse is fraught with additional cruelty. Animals are often transported long distances in overcrowded trucks, exposed to extreme weather conditions without food, water, or rest. Many arrive at the slaughterhouse injured, exhausted, and terrified, only to face a grisly end. Despite regulations intended to ensure humane treatment during slaughter, undercover investigations have repeatedly revealed instances of animals being improperly stunned or slaughtered while fully conscious, adding another layer of suffering to their already tragic lives.

The impact of factory farming extends beyond the realm of animal welfare. Environmental degradation, public health risks, and ethical concerns are all intertwined with the industrialized production of animal products. The overuse of antibiotics in livestock contributes to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, posing a serious threat to human health. Moreover, the environmental footprint of factory farming, from deforestation to water pollution, further underscores the need for a shift towards more sustainable and ethical food systems.

Addressing the issue of animal cruelty in factory farms requires collective action on multiple fronts. Consumers can make a difference by choosing plant-based alternatives or opting for products from farms that prioritize animal welfare. Legislation and enforcement must be strengthened to ensure that animals are afforded basic protections throughout their lives. And perhaps most importantly, society must confront the uncomfortable truth behind the food on our plates and demand a more compassionate and sustainable approach to agriculture.

In conclusion, the prevalence of animal cruelty in factory farms is a pressing moral issue that demands urgent attention. By shedding light on the hidden suffering of animals raised for food, we can work towards a future where compassion and empathy guide our treatment of all living beings. It's time to recognize that behind every piece of meat, every carton of eggs, and every glass of milk, there is a sentient being whose life and well-being deserve our respect and consideration.

[arclantis-blog]

Do Organizations Know How to Break the Cycle of Poverty?

For decades, various organizations worldwide have been studying how to break the cycle of poverty. As a result, they have been able to name some of the top poverty-ending methods. Before learning how these can be developed and deployed, however, we must first understand one of the biggest barriers to overcoming poverty: a dependable source of income.1

Rural and vulnerable families in places like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa very much want to provide food, shelter and water for their families. They have to meet these basic needs before they can even consider regular schooling for their children or building an income stream that will grow with time. Often, parents and older siblings will take on whatever jobs they can find and still not be able to meet the family’s needs.

Children are sometimes sent to factories or farms, anywhere someone might pay them something, anything, to supplement the family’s income. If children are forced to work from an early age, they will commonly not go to school or obtain an education, and their cycle of poverty continues.

Adults who never had the opportunity to gain an education or who had to quit school at an early age often lack the skills and capital to begin a business that can support a family. They are left to work whatever menial jobs they can obtain without a way of bettering themselves or their situation.

GFA World can help a family gain and sustain a dependable source of income through its livestock, fishing and sewing programs. While some entities may charge for the classes and materials to learn how to sew, GFA World provides them for free. This opportunity is life-changing for women struggling to feed their families. For each woman who completes the program, her new skills as a seamstress and a new sewing machine are the beginning of stability for her and her family.

Likewise, the gift of a farm animal, like those provided through the GFA World Christmas Catalog, can be the start of a business for someone who depends on various, unreliable day labor jobs that don’t provide dependable income. Two piglets can become a pig farm. Chickens lay eggs that lead to more chickens and eggs.

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