The role of factory farming

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的essay代写范文 -- The role of factory farming，本文讲述小型家庭农业和工厂农业包括两种主要的农业类型。罗伯特·R·法雷尔（Robert R. Farrell）将工厂农业定义为“工厂农场通过工业类型的生产生产大量食物。这些食品工厂通常占地数千英亩。如果有牲畜，一般在同一地区只能饲养几千只动物。”工厂化养殖是一种集约化经营，后来随着对更大的所需经济利润的需求而出现。然而，尽管工厂化种植为农民带来了更高的生产力，而价格却更低的客户，却引起了诸如污染和虐待动物等问题的激烈讨论。实际上，工厂化农业在农业综合企业中已成为不可阻挡的趋势，因为事实是，尽管其弊端显而易见，但随着总人口的增加和经济的快速发展，需要更多的粮食和利润。需要注意的是思考如何控制工厂化农业造成的不利后果。

The role of factory farming

Small family farming and factory farming consist of two main types of farming. Robert R. Farrell defines factory farming as“a factory farm produces huge volumes of food by industrial type operations. These food factories typically cover as many as several thousand acres. If it has livestock, it generally has several thousand animals confined in the same area”. Factory farming is a kind of intensive operation emerging later in response to larger required economic profits. However, though factory farming brings farmers with higher productivity and customers with lower price, it arouses a heated debate given by the problems it has caused, such as pollution and animal abuse. Actually, factory farming has turned out to be an irresistible trend in agribusiness due to the fact that more food and profits are needed along with the overall increasing population and the rapidly developing economy, even though its drawbacks are clear. What needs attention is to ponder how to control the adverse outcomes that factory farming causes.

Benefits brought by factory farming cover lots of people, including farmers, customers and employees. For farmers, intensive operation can maximize the value of land and resources because, compared with small family farming, there are far more animals having been put on a land with same size. It can also reduce the waste of fodder because fodder has been spread concentratedly in an area rather than many areas. Therefore, cost of land and fodder can be reduced when applying factory farming. Moreover, larger amount of animals on a land with same size means a higher productivity and efficiency. Though using lands with same size, factory farming provides larger output of animals compared with small family farming. Therefore, factory farming not only reduces cost, but also improves output, which directly and significantly increase farmers’ profits. Supporters also reveal other affecting factors. “Because of the use of technology in factory farming and also the application of chemical products, food is produced at lower costs as compared to smaller farms” and “for producers, this will mean better profits”. In terms of increasing the producers’ benefits, factory farming is irreplaceable, attributed to the features of its operation. Smaller farming objectively can never reach such a high economic profit.

Customer is also a beneficiary of factory farming. It can be analyzed from two perspectives: lower price and more supply. As what have been mentioned above, factory farming has brought producers lower cost, therefore, it correspondently reduces the price of food for customers. As supporters say, “consumers can also delight in lower priced products”. Moreover, given by its high efficiency and productivity, factory farming can satisfy the increasing need for food caused by the rising population and improving living standard. As statistics show, “ So much so that in the U.S. only 3% of farms now generate an astonishing 62% of that nation’s agricultural output! In fact, they have so consolidated the agricultural sector that only five food retailers (Kroger, Albertson’s, Wal-Mart, Safeway and Ahold USA) account for a whopping 42% of all retail food sales in the U.S. And because they are able to produce food cheaper, factory farms are forcing several smaller farms out of business (according to Natural Agricultural Statistics Service, 330 farmers leave their land every week)”. Therefore, since its scale is so small that if there only exits small farming, it is rather difficult for it to support the need of the population of a nation. Thus, due to the limited amount of food, consumers have to afford a relatively higher price. Choosing factory farming or small farming has a grave impact on a nation. On a longer and profounder view, factory farming is better in line with a nation’s interest.

Factory farming also benefits people who do not have jobs. In small farming, the amount of animals that producers need to take care of is far less than that of factory farming, thus employees required to operate the farm is also far fewer than that of factory farming. Moreover, factory  farming is of more complexity compared with small farming for that it involves more complicated breeding methods and technology. Therefore, more employees are needed in factory farming and more job opportunities can be provided. Supporters also point out this advantage of factory farming. “The setting up of a factory farm requires lots of labor. This means that people will be required for carrying out the numerous daily tasks in the farm. Local people can benefit from such a farm as they will get employed. Furthermore, the salary that they receive from the factory farm can be used for enhancing their economy”.

It is obvious that the advantages mentioned above such as higher efficiency and profits, lower price and higher supply, and more job opportunities, can never be attained by small farming or other farming methods. In the long run, factory farming should be employed for a nation’s interest. However, drawbacks of factory farming have also been pointed out and discussed repeatedly. As far as I am concerned, though factory farming has lots of disadvantages, its position with more superiority to other farmings is unshakable.

One of the disadvantages of factory farming is that it leads to a dirtier environment compared with small farming. Based on the fact that animals are collectively fostered in one area, it is easier for their waste to pollute the environment and spread bacteria. Moreover, if a chicken develops a disease, it is very possible that other chickens around it also develop disease given that they live too closely. Therefore, the health situation of animals cannot be guaranteed. Robert R. Farrell also reveals other problems of factory farming, “Raising large numbers of animals in cramped conditions leads to disease. Therefore, the animals are fed antibiotics in order to ward off diseases. Also, animals are injected with hormones to speed their growth and some are even given feed containing animal byproducts.This has led to humans acquiring antibiotic resistant bacteria, and diseases such as mad cow disease”. In this sense, it should be admitted that factory farming does affect the environment and the safety of the food. However, it should not be forgotten that all these factors mentioned above, such as environment and injection, are changeable and controllable once we pay attention to them.

Another drawback of factory farming that is widely discussed is the cruelty to animals. Critics of factory farming say, “the animals are not seen as individual, sentient beings with unique physical and psychological needs but as eggs, milk, meat, leather etc” and “since the animals are seen as mere commodities, they are bred, fed, confined, and drugged to lay more eggs, birth more offspring, and die with more meat on their bones”. Behaviors of abusing animals in factory farming have been listed out. For example, “farmers get more money for chickens with enlarged thighs and breasts. As a result, they breed the animals to be so heavy that their bones cannot support their weight. Consequently, the chickens have difficulty standing, and their legs often break”. Moreover, “dairy cows live in crowded pens or barns with concrete floors. Milking machines often cut them and cause other injuries. Some give them electrical shocks which cause extreme pain and even death. Dairy cows are forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would produce in nature”. Therefore, animal abuse turns out to be the reason why some people attack factory farming.

Drawbacks mentioned above including dirty environment, unsafety of food and animal cruelty actually are loopholes of factory farming. They should be honestly admitted. However, considering that no other farming method can create those same benefits for a nation as factory farming and those loopholes can be filled, factory farming is still favored. However, what needs to be mentioned is that strict policies must be implemented by relevant departments to regulate the operation of factory farming. First, environment of factory farming should be checked periodically. Second, injection of antibiotics, hormones or other drugs must be strictly controlled or even banned. Safety of food must be examined carefully before they are sold. Third, animal cruelty must be prohibited and punished once it happens. Therefore, core issue lays on how to regulate the operation of factory farming rather than banning its existence.

Advantages of factory farming including higher efficiency and profits, lower price and higher supply, and more job opportunities, are irreplaceable. It decides the fact that though factory farming has numerous drawbacks, support should be given to it considering the need of a nation and its people. As for the problems caused by factory farming, they should be addressed at the same moment when favoring factory farming. Only endeavor to strike a balance between its advantage and disadvantage, can factory farming exert its most powerful influence and contribute itself to our society.

Reference

Harri Daniel, Benefits Of Factory Farming, Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-factory-farming/

Robert R. Farrell, Factory Farms: Are They Good for Consumers? Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://realtruth.org/articles/070601-004-ff.html

Factory Farming, Retrieved May 5, 2014, from

http://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/other-issues/factory-farming

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