Ethan Braman

Shawn Hammer

Patrick Judge

Spencer Myers

Brady Ray

Sydney Whitman

Mr. Gross

English 11 B (3)

31 May 2019

The Food Industry Must Alter Their Treatment of Animals

Animals, living in dark, overcrowded barns, unable to move freely, ridden with disease,

and neglected by supposed caretakers. Living in such conditions while simultaneously being

pumped full of genetic modifications that quadruple their natural body weight, impair their legs,

shorten their breath, stress their heart, suffering more with every passing instant. This is the life

of a modern factory farm animal being raised to be slaughtered and served to customers

worldwide. It is clear the food industry must change its treatment of animals. The ungodly

genetic alterations and depraved living conditions being forced upon today’s chickens and cattle

are horrid offences against the natural order of the world, as well the lives of these animals.

Although some philosophers would argue animals do not deserve better lives because they do not

possess the mental capacity to understand the concept of free will. This problem must be solved
by educating the public on the atrocious lives of farm animals and the health problems attributed

to eating genetically modified meat.

One ongoing problem in the factory farm industry is the genetic alterations to animals in

the factory farms. In the year 1921, the average weight of a farm-raised cow was 541 lbs. Over

the course of 88 years, that number has shot up to 784 lbs (Barclay 1). This unnatural feat is

accomplished through extreme hormone injection in the cattle. In the 1950s, the Food and Drug

Administration approved the use of several growth hormones in cattle farming, such as ​e​strogen,

progesterone, testosterone, and their synthetic equivalents (Steroid Hormone Implants Used for

Growth in Food-Producing Animals 1). Many such hormones are implanted under the skin of the

cow’s ear. This implant is designed to slowly pump steroids into the bovine’s bloodstream over

time, boosting the cow’s growth, thus boosting the amount of harvestable meat. The additional

amount of weight added onto the cow’s body directly affects its heart, mobility, and overall

well-being. In addition to subjecting the animals to a life of suffering, the modified beef can also

lead to health defects in humans. Many scientists directly attribute the use of estrogen in beef

production to the increased risk of breast cancer, as well as reproductive difficulties such as sub

fertilization (Do Hormones in Meat Affect Human Health? 1). This method of cattle raising is

cruel and unusual to cows, as well as to people who consume modified beef.

Another fatal flaw found in this industry is the living conditions. Each and every day,

tens of thousands of chicken are raised in pitch-black, hot, windowless barns, unable to walk or

fly freely. Because of these conditions, many chickens do not learn proper communication skills,

and therefore, become extremely hostile toward one another, occasionally even killing one

another (The Chicken Industry 1). These conditions are also breeding grounds for disastrous
health issues. A writer for ​The Washington Post​ was quoted saying; “​dust, feathers, and

ammonia choke the air in the chicken house, and fans turn it into airborne sandpaper, rubbing

skin raw.” (The Chicken Industry 1). When chicks are born on farms such as these, their lives

are immediately horrible. Once they hatch, they are separated from their mothers, never to

reunite. While female chickens go on to be raised in the chicken house, male chicks are either

thrown into trash bags and suffocated, or ground up alive in mechanical meat grinders (21

Things the Egg Industry Doesn’t Want You to See 1). Conditions such as these are clearly unfit

for any form of life to inhabit.

Some philosophers dispute the fact that animals deserve enjoyable lives. Great minds

such as University of Michigan professor Carl Cohen argue animals should not have rights

because they do not possess the mental capacity to make moral judgments or comprehend free

will. In Cohen’s essay ​The Case Against Animal Rights, ​he claims that; “Only members of

species with the capacity to make moral claims have rights. But having the capacity to make

moral claims requires having autonomy. Non-human animal species lack autonomy. Therefore,

members of non-human animal species do not have rights.” (Cohen 1). However, a

non-autonomous being still does not deserve to be treated as these animals are. Animals raised

on factory farms are raised and slaughtered with absolutely no respect, and respect for life is not

determined by autonomy.

While the long-term solution to this problem would be to pass anti-factory farming laws

and improve the treatment of farm animals, that outcome is unlikely, due to society’s ignorance

on the matter. Therefore, the most plausible first step to solving this problem is to begin to

educate the public about where their food comes from, and what substances their food contains.
There are several ways of raising public awareness on these matters, such as creating focus

groups, making video or paper advertisements, or donating to pro-animal charities such as

Animal Equality, the Good Food Institute, or the Humane League. All of these methods, can

make an enormous difference in the lives of animals living on factory farms, and pave the way

for anti-factory farm legislation.

The way that animals are treated by the food industry is disgusting, disrespectful and

unacceptable, and must change. Despite what some claims may saThe body-mutilating steroids

and foul living conditions that these animals are subjected to must be revealed to the public and

illegalized.
 Works Cited

“21 Things the Egg Industry Doesn't Want You to See.” ​PETA,​ 19 Sept. 2018,

www.peta.org/features/egg-industry-cruelty/.

Barclay, Eliza. “A Nation Of Meat Eaters: See How It All Adds Up.” ​NPR​, NPR, 27 June 2012,

www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/06/27/155527365/visualizing-a-nation-of-meat-eaters.

“Carl Cohen, ‘The Case Against Animal Rights.’” ​Cohen Against Animal Rights,​

faculty.philosophy.umd.edu/SKerstein/140s09/cohenanimal.html.

“The Chicken Industry.” ​PETA​, 30 June 2016,

www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/chickens/chicken-industry/.

“Do Hormones in Meat Affect Human Health?” ​Upstream Downstream​,

upstream.mj.unc.edu/2015/10/do-hormones-in-meat-affect-human-health/.

Medicine, Center for Veterinary. “Steroid Hormone Implants Used for Growth in

Food-Producing Animals.” ​Steroid Hormone Implants Used for Growth in

Food-Producing Animals,​ FDA,

www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/product-safety-information/steroid-hormone-implants-use

d-growth-food-producing-animals.