Factory Farming: A review of Lit Review

Jazmin Valencia
University of Texas at El Paso
Professor Falcon
English 1312: Research and Critical Writing

Abstract
Factory farming is an industrialized farm with a purpose to maximize production at the lowest
cost. Because of its involvement in the killing of animals for food production, it is a highly
controversial topic. It separates public opinion into three different views. The first view arises
from animal activist that believe that factory farming is abusive and mistreats the animals that
live within the farms. The second view is from corporations that state: they animals are treated in
a professional manner that keeps them from unnecessary pain when being killed and healthy
prior to their death. The third view is from the common public, which is that factory farming
should be regulated but not removed. The purpose of this literary review is to examine three key
questions about factory farming: What is the treatment of the animal in the factory farm? What
are American views about the factory farm animals? What is currently being done to help the
farm animals, in the factory farms?

Factoring Farming
Factory Farming is defined by Merriam Webster as a large industrialized farm where
large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at
minimal cost.(Webster,2014) Factory farms today form a large part of production and for more
than a decade farms have changed from traditional farms to industrialized farms known as
factory farms. The rapid growth of industrialized farms in the United States is due to the high
demand of food because of the growing population. It is estimated by the human society of the
United States approximately 10 billion animals are killed every year for food in the United
States.(Humane Society of the United States,2014) These high number of killings by the factory
farms has led to arguments and controversies. Animal activist for example claim that the factory
farms process is inhumane and abusive to the animals. One member of the organization PETA
declares It has been estimated that one fourth of the animals that are being killed is not only
because of the human consumption but rather the diseases and abuse they are experiencing in the
farms. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 2014). In the other hand we have
industries such as Farm Journal Inc that states Animals are generally kept in barns and similar
housing. To protect the animals from predators, disease, and extreme climate The modern
housing is well ventilated, warm, well-lighted, clean and scientifically designed for needs of the
animal. it is designed to allow a farmer to provide the best animal care. (Farm Journal,Inc
,2014). For these reason debate continues about the factory farms and the lit review will answer
three common questions asked in regards to these factory farms:
1. What is the treatment of the animal in the factory farm?
2. What are American views about the factory farm animals?

3. What is currently being done to help the farm animals, in the factory farms?
What is the treatment of the animal in the factory farm?
The treatments of the animals reveal abuse and torture, as stated by organizations that are
against factory farming cruelty. It is said by People for ethical treatment of animals that today in
factory farms, animals are being crammed into filthy windowless sheds, gestation crates, barren
dirt lots, and other cruel confinement systems. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
2014). In these confinement systems the animals dont get to live a natural life style and will
never get the opportunity to run freely to raise their own families. Most of the animals as stated
by PETA wont even get the chance to feel the sun or breathe in air until the day they are
forcibly being transported to the slaughter house to their death beds. (People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals, 2014). The organization continues by declaring how cows, pigs, chickens,
turkeys, duck and geese are just simply under very traumatic conditions. Animals in a factory
farm live in very small cages or space that have no room for the animals to even lie down. The
animals are altered to produce more eggs and milk that would had not been normally done by
their own. The alteration then leads to organ failure, leg deformities killing the animal. It is said
that in the factory farms chickens are the number one animal that is being slaughtered and abused
cow and pigs are next in line. For example in the factory farms chickens are spread into two
categories:boilers chickens that are killed for their flesh and laying chickens that are used for
their eggs. Boiler Chickens that are being killed for flesh spend their entire life in filthy sheds
with millions of other chickens that the crowded so bad that there is outbreaks of diseases
.Laying hens, on the other hand are kept in wired cages were they have their beak cut off with no
painkillers and have no room to spread their wings. With that said Ninety-nine percent of these
animals spend their lives in total confinementfrom the moment they hatch until the day they

are killed. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 2014). Just like chickens cows and
pigs are also being afflicted in the factor farms. Cows, at a very young age are being burnedbranded without any sedation. Young male cows have their genitals and horns removed without
any form of pain killers. The cattle as well is forcefully fed for fattening. On the way to the
slaughter house the cow are being held to harsh weather where typically the animal has no food
and water. Some cows die on their the way to the slaughter house, but those who live experience
a shot in the head , so they can be afterwards hunged so that their throats can be cut off to be
skinned and gutted. The animals live harsh lives since the day they are born till the last breath
of their lives, so these has to stop! (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 2014) a
member of animal rights moments concludes.
Although many animal activists state that this is the treatment is abusive and cruel Animal
Industry Foundation argue that the factory farming is beneficial and in no way it mistreats the
animals. Harri Daniel for example states three main benefits
1. Low cost food production.
2. Provides employment
3. Increases production efficiency. (Farm Journal, I., 2014)
.While Wisconsin Agri_Buisness Council writes There is a movement in today society which
is concerned about animal rights. The man or woman who is engaged in farming doesnt think
about his animals in exactly that way, but he or she knows that providing good nutritious feed, a
clean, environmentally controlled building and tender loving care will produce healthier, happier
animals, and thats exactly what everyone wants, especially the farmer! (Yount, L,2004)In other
words, whereas animal rights activist are trying to prove that animals are being mistreated and

abused by corporations like that of Wisconsins Agri_Buisiness Corporation, companies are

trying to prove that they do not mistreat the animals they take good care of them and handle them
with the right amount of care until they are required to serve their difficult task. Which then
leads to the publics opinion on the matter of factory farming.
What are American views about the factory farm animals?
The mistreatment and abuse of the animals have lead to two different views with in
America. One of the views is that modern farming is humane. While the second view is that the
factory farming is in-humane. The Animal Industry Foundation in Arlington argues that modern
farming is beneficial to farming. The members from the foundation state that that farmers care
about the animals, since that is the main reason why they go into farming and ranching. They
state the handling practices that are being performed may seem brutal but they are being
performed in a professional manner to guarantee the welfare of the animals and it can be
compared to a lifesaving human surgical practice, brutal but are done professional for the best of
the injured. The members continue stating that egg laying hens have their beaks trimmed
because of their natural instinct of pecking. Claws are trimmed to avoid injury when the
chickens are mating. Hogs and pigs have their teeth trimmed to avoid injury when nursing and
the tail is cut off to avoid tail biting when swine herds occur. Cattle, and sheep are dehorned to
insure the safety of the rancher and other cattle. Castration is performed to avoid fighting and
avoid territorial cattle. Ear-marking, tattooing, branding is performed by the workers to maintain
health records for the safety of the animals and humans so that disease can be identify and
prevent from further spreading. Overall the foundation concludes that all the practices are under
regulation and are performed the most humane manner and there is no scientific prove that
disease are spread less in in the wild than in farms.

Controversy continues today in America and in one hand we have Animal Industry
Foundation that are with the factory farming while we have The humane Farming Association in
San Francisco that consider factory farming in humane. The Humane Farming Association
believes that animals are abused and mistreated in farms. Just as Eugenia L. Stubbs, a leader that
declares the following Billions of animals never see the light of the day. For others light is
continuous. They exist standing in small stalls, tiny cages, or crowded pens, no bedding (straw),
food piped in automatically, dust ammonia in the air-eating, reproduction-nothing more. Their
lives are characterized by immobility, crowding, stress and disease. There are no federal laws to
protect them. (Tiplay, Catherine, 2013) The views the Americans have go both ways but today
more Americans know the process of animal farming due to human consumption.
For this reason a survey was conducted with 4 questions related to factory farming. Some
of the questions asked on the survey asked for the gender and for the age of the participating
surveyor. The survey also ask to evaluate three statements by either agreeing, disagreeing,
strongly agreeing, strongly disagreeing, or neither. The statements are:
1. Are factory farm animals abused and mistreated?
2. Does factory farming expose animals to diseases?
3. Do you believe there should be laws to protect the animals in the factory farms?
The survey then concludes with: What is your view about the abuse of factory farming? And had
three options to choose from A) Factory farms should be regulated to help the farm animals,
but should stay. B) Factory farms should be banned and should be removed .C) Nothing factory
farms are great and nothing should be change. The survey was conducted by Jazmin Valencia,
whose purpose was to gather information about the views about factoring farming. 90% of the
survey, contained male college students opinion. The survey could be taken online the only

requirement was an electronic device. Over all the survey concluded that Factory Farming
animals are abused and are not exposed to diseases but there should be laws to protect them ad
that factory farms should be regulated to help the animals but should stay.

What is currently being done to help the farm animals, in the factory farms?
This advancement has lead to many progressions in the factory farms. For instance the
human society of America has been one of the many organizations to release a timeline of the
protection advancement made for the farm animals. Many of the advancement announce the
elimination of gestation crates, the use of cruel practices and the work of global egg .Industries
such as Henz, Sonic, Burger King, Clemens Food Group, McDonalds, Nestle and many more. In
Sept. 8,2014: Clemens Food Group, one of the largest pork producers in the
country, announces it is eliminating gestation crates throughout its supply chain and shifting to
the best type of group housing, called electronic sow feeding; this type of progress would help
the animals have more room to freely move. Burger King in March 2007 announced that it
would become the first major US restaurant chain to begin phasing in cage-free eggs and
gestation crate-free pork which has lead to many other big fast food chains to adopt same
practices. (Humane Society of the United States,2014) For these reason organization keep on

spreading the word of factory farm abuse so that it can have more reforms that protect the
animals. Another animal activist that released a time line of protection advancement for animals
is Lisa Yount in her novel Animal Rights. In her novel she lists one important law that protects
animals in factory farming this law is Humane Methods of Slaughter Act in 1978.The Humane
Methods of Slaughter Act is a law that protect the animals at the moment they are being
slaughter, it is an act that only allows he farmers to kill the animal with one single gunshot rather
than being stunned to death. Mainly because the process was very flawed in its purpose of
rendering the animal unconscious. With this said this act has made the process of slaughter
houses when killing animals more humane.

Conclusion/Synthesis
In conclusion, this lit review has analyzed the process that farm animals are encountering
and the actions that are taking place to help the animals based on the opinions of the American
population. These opinions are varied we have the views of the animal rights activists, the views
of the agricultural corporations, and the common publics opinion on whether if factory farms
are humane or inhumane to the animals. The animal rights activist are stating that factory farms
are inhumane because they keep the animals in crowded cages with no separation of healthy and
unhealthy animals which causes disease to spread. Agriculture corporations argue that they do
not mistreat their life stock they state that they treat them with all the proper care required to
keep the animals heathy and in good condition as required by law. The publics opinion for the
most part on factory farming according to a conducted survey is that there should be regulations
to protect the animals well being yet there should be regulatory laws that protect the animals in

slaughter houses. Ultimately the survey also states that factory farming should not be eliminated
since it is a primary food distributer.

References:

David L. Bender, B. L. (1989). Should Animals be Used for FOOD? In Animal Rights Opposing
Viewpoints (pp. 105-121). San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Farm Journal, I. (2014). Agriculture Facts. Retrieved from http://www.agweb.com/agriculture-facts/
Humane Society of the United States(2014,Spetember). Timeline of Major Farm
AnimalProtection Advancements. Retrieved from: http://www.humanesociety.org/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (2014,May). Factory Farming: Cruelty to
Animals.Retrieved from:http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factoryfarming/.
Poulter, S. (2011, May 18 ). The Daily Mail. Retrieved from mail online:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1388176/Factory-farms-Ministers-orderresearch-sustainable-intensification-livestock.html
Tiplay, Catherine.(2013) Animal Abuse: Helping Animals and People. Wallingford,
Oxfordshire,UK:Boston Press
Valencia, J. (2014, November 4). Factory Farming. Retrieved from Survey Monkey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GFXCKDL
Yount, L. (2004). The Law and Animal Rights. In Animal Right (pp. 79-80). New York: Facts On File,
Inc.