I have always been a huge animal lover and I know lots about all kinds of creatures. Back when I was younger I was very shy, so shy I would rather play with a dog than one of my friends. Dogs are probably one of the biggest reasons I am an animal lover. I grew up surrounded by dogs and lived in a household that sees their dogs as a part of the family. I would watch nature documentaries all the time and to this day I still do. I was a kid who would get depressed after watching an animal get hurt in a disney movie and I could never watch a dog movie because they always got hurt. My obsession with animals has only grown over the years. Then I learned about animal cruelty and all the horrible things that people would do to animals, you could imagine how much that broke me. Things like that completely changed my view of the world and the people in it. It was unbelievable the things people would do to a living creature for no good reason. Now earlier this year I learned about factory farming and the horrible treatment those animals have to go through. Having to see the immoral things people will do to animals, for their own financial benefit is very sad to see. These cruel treatments are horrible, but when investing more time and research I found many good people who felt just like I did about factory farming and they definitely helped restore my faith in humanity. But factory farming still needs to be stopped.

The United States should consume less meat and develop healthier farming practices. The torturous methods used in the majority of US factory farms need to be put to an end, because these inhumane strategies used in these farms is an issue that not only affects the animals but also the surrounding community and environment. “Factory farming is a form of intensive agriculture that involves confining large numbers of animals within small, living spaces for companies to maximize profits in selling their bodies or milk to consumers.” (The Humane League 1) All sorts of animals are stuck in factory farms. “including pigs, cows, sheep, turkeys, chickens, and ducks.” (The Humane League 1) All of “These animals will never raise their families, or do anything that is natural and important to them.” (PEDA ANIMALS ARE NOT OURS 1) It is truly not fair to these animals, they don't get to experience anything that they are naturally meant to and they are only used for their resources. I want to bring attention to the unfair treatment that animals in factory farms have to deal with and the issues that are created in the environment and surrounding community. I want there to be laws created that stop these horrible things that farmers do to animals, and what it is doing for the human population and environment. These strategies of farming are doing bad things to the environment. Whether it’s polluting the air and water, contributing huge volumes of greenhouse gasses that exacerbate climate change, or threatening wild species with extinction, there is ample evidence to demonstrate why it’s time for factory farming to come to an end. Due to these inhumane strategies used in factory farms that not only affects the animals but also the surrounding community and environment, the United States should consume less meat and develop healthier farming practices.

The cause of this environmental damage, damage to humans, and death of animals is due to factory farming. Nearly 99 percent of farmed animals in the US are factory farmed. The reason factory farming is becoming such an infamous thing is because “The factory farming industry strives to maximize output while minimizing costs'' (PEDA ANIMALS ARE NOT OURS 1) People are trying to get as much money as they possibly can and factory farming makes it all too easy. “Animals within small, living spaces for companies to maximize profits in selling their bodies or milk to consumers.” (The Humane League 1) Sometimes people just get too greedy and don’t think about what their greed is causing. These farmers aren't thinking about the environment or even what they're doing to their own community and themselves, let alone the poor animals.

Factory farming has many bad effects not only is it a horrible way to treat animals but it is also leading to many bad environmental effects and affects on human life. Such as “Air pollution is the result of confining huge numbers of animals within small areas. Bird feces are left to ferment, releasing the toxic gas ammonia.” (The Humane League 1) Air pollution may affect not only animal’s health but the health of workers and even the surrounding community. “Water pollution is another direct result, water runoff from factory farms occurs when water comes into contact with sewage. The water carries the sewage away, eventually winding up in the ocean and along coastlines.” (The Humane League 1) This many animals can create lots of waste. “The Hawkeye State’s pigs, cows and chickens produce about as much waste as 134 million people—nearly the population of Russia.” (Alex Brown 1) Factory farming can also cause deforestation “While grasslands naturally exist in many places around the world, forests are increasingly being razed to create more pastures for ever-growing populations of cattle” (The Humane League 1) Forests are being cut down to make room for more fields where factory farms go forests are also cleared to make way for cropland which is necessary to grow enough food for the billions of animals trapped within factory farms.

The United States should consume less meat and develop  healthier farming practices. “Seeing the cruelty these animals go through so that some corporations make a profit off our feeding habits, we have to eat less meat, dairy and eggs.” (Conserve Energy Future 1)  The U.S. already has a huge demand for these food products. Factory farming can mostly satisfy that but it also maximizes profits for these farmers making it the obvious option for them and that's why nearly 99 percent of farmed animals in the US are factory farmed. “An average meat-eater in the United States consumes about 2,500 pigs, cows, turkeys, sheep and chickens in their lifetime. This is only in the United States.” (Conserve Energy Future 1) Us Americans are creating this problem. We eat so much meat that factory farming is one of the only solutions to satisfy our hunger for this food. “Consuming less meat and related products will give animals a life worth living.” (Conserve Energy Future 1) If the U.S. lowered the amount of meat consumed it could allow many more animals to be free and live a natural life. “Consuming less meat and related products will also lower the number of chronic and preventable diseases that affect human beings like cancers, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.” (Conserve Energy Future 1) It's a win-win. Eating all of this cheap processed meat leads to many bad health effects on humans and eating less of it will allow these animals to live good lives, not ones where they are stuck in cages. 

All people, but especially the people in the US, need to strive to know more about factory farming. “Many people are unaware of the cruelty factory-farmed animals go through and choose to remain ignorant. Strive to know more about the animal you are about to consume, and where it came from.” (Conserve Energy Future 1) It's sad to learn about how many animals are factory farmed in the U.S. but people need to know and understand what factory farming is and why it is used for almost all meat in the U.S. and yet lots of people didn't even know it was happening. Anyone could “Share such information and let the world know of such cruelty. You should educate the world on why you chose such a decision to help advocate for animal rights among such farmers.” (Conserve Energy Future 1) If more people talked about factory farming many people would learn and understand it, not enough people know about factory farming. People don’t even know what they are putting into their bodies or where it came from, let alone the horrible things that are happening to these animals or the environment.

US citizens should only shop for higher-welfare foods. Instead of pulling up to the closest fast food drive through so people could choose to shop at farmers markets. “you will be avoiding factory-farmed meats, dairy and eggs, and benefiting small-scale and small family farmers.” (Conserve Energy Future 1) You could support small local farms and have much better, healthier food. If you wanted to go the extra mile you could even ask the person selling the goods where he got it and you could even visit the farm yourself. You could “Also, ask managers in supermarkets to stock foods from pasture-raised or free-range animals, which have been raised at higher standards than factory-farmed animals.” (Conserve Energy Future 1) Doing small things in your very own community could help put an end to factory farming and it will offer more to small scale local farms creating a healthier lifestyle for many people and giving the animals better, truer natural lives.

The United States should consume less meat and develop healthier farming practices. The torturous methods used in the majority of US factory farms need to be put to an end, because these inhumane strategies used in these farms is an issue that not only affects the animals but also the surrounding community and environment. These strategies of farming are doing bad things whether it’s polluting the air and water, contributing huge volumes of greenhouse gasses that exacerbate climate change, or threatening wild species with extinction. It seems to me that it is most certainly time for factory farming to come to an end. In conclusion, due to these inhumane strategies used in factory farms that not only affects the animals but also the surrounding community and environment, the United States should consume less meat and develop healthier farming practices.

Works Cited

Brown, Alex. “Environmentalists Make Long-Shot Attempts to Ban New Factory Farms.” Stateline, 19 Feb. 2021, stateline.org/2021/02/19/environmentalists-make-long-shot-attempt-to-ban-new-factory-farms/

“Factory Farming: The Industry behind Meat and Dairy.” PETA, 30 Dec. 2020, www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/.

“FACTORY FARMING AND THE ENVIRONMENT: IMPACTS ON THE PLANET.” Thehumaneleague.Org, thehumaneleague.org/article/factory-farming-and-the-environment. Accessed 19 May 2023. thehumaneleague.org/article/factory-farming-and-the-environment

Mars as another h, et al. “Factory Farming: History, Effects and Sustainable Solutions.” Conserve Energy Future, 28 July 2022, www.conserve-energy-future.com/factory-farming.php.