Problem
Factory farming is the practice of cramming vast numbers of animals in tight spaces to try to achieve the most efficient way of harvesting meat and animal byproducts like eggs and milk, and therefore make the highest profit. This results in grotesque practices. Chickens are de-beaked. Pigs and cows get their tails cut off. Animals are genetically manipulated, pumped with antibiotics and hormones, and they are denied fresh air and sunlight. The resulting processed meat is associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and overall lower life expectancy in humans. Furthermore, these animals are much more likely to develop antibiotic-resistant pathogens, which sicken 2 million Americans and kill 23,000 per year.
Public misconception
Over 60 % of people are uncomfortable with how animals are used in the food industry, and believe that people should consume less animal products. Nearly half of US adults support a ban on factory farming and slaughter houses. Despite these numbers, 58 % of people think most farmed animals are treated well, and 75 % think they buy animal products from humane sources. This is impossible. In the US, over 99 % of animals live on factory farms.
Solution: End factory farming
This may start with a nation-wide law like California’s Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act. Considered the most progressive farm animals rights provisions in the world, this bill sets new space requirements for all animals and bans the sale of eggs from caged hens after 2022.