Factory farms produce cheap goods. But while consumers may be happy with how much these products cost at the grocery store, there is a much bigger price paid by the animals, the environment – even human health.
Let’s start with the antibiotics. According to the FDA, approximately 80% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to farm animals for nontherapeutic purposes. This routine administration of antibiotics promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can spread to animals and humans. And as antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads, medicines used to treat human diseases can become less effective. Antibiotic resistant infections kill 90,000 Americans each year.
In the dairy industry, cows are often given growth hormones to increase milk yields. Once productivity declines, these cows are slaughtered for beef. Consuming beef products previously exposed to these hormones has been shown to increase the risk of breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
Poor sanitation and waste management on factory farms can lead to food contamination. Bacteria like E. coli and salmonella sicken 76 million Americans each year and thousands die.
Factory farms are also responsible for contaminating water. Contaminates like nitrates, pathogens, heavy metals, hormones, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria can leach into ground and surface water when manure lagoons leak or overflow.
And air quality is also affected. Factory farms release a host of air pollutants, including hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. Residents living near factory farms report high incidents of illness, and lower property values as a result of their proximity to these farms.
With all this in mind, we will explore the alternatives to factory farms tomorrow.
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Photo, posted June 5, 2012, courtesy of LucyB0625 via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.