Factory Farming
Factory farming is a never-ending animal holocaust of egregious human cruelty. It is the ugly manifestation of insatiable gluttony. A vile attempt to satisfy the ever-increasing hunger of humans, it displays no remorse for the innumerable sufferings of the voiceless animals. The word “factory farming” itself conveys a very shocking message of innocent animals being treated as factory products, with the sole motive of earning profit. Factory farming originated in the 1960s to maximize efficiency and production so that farms could meet the ever-increasing demand of a growing population. The main motto of it is to maximize profit by minimizing costs.
Many of the animals that are raised through factory farming never experience sunlight nor breathes any fresh air. They must stay in overcrowded smelly suffocating cages till the time they are slaughtered. Factory farming debars animals from the basic instincts too. Beaks are the natural grooming tool of the birds. Chicken are debeaked which is the removal of the upper part of the beak with searing hot blades so that they do harm each other while staying in the cramped confines as an injured chicken does not bring any profit. The tails of the pig with which it wards off flies and insects are cut in the cruelest of manner so that they do not cause any infection due to tail biting. Young calves are kept away from their lactating mothers so that the milk can be supplied for human consumption. The female calf is raised separately from her mother and no sooner she attains a mature age to conceive, she is forcefully impregnated and the cycle continues. If it is a male calf, it is left unattended till it dies a horrible death on its own. Chicken is one of the most abused animals. From hatching to slaughter, chickens on factory farms are subjected to mutilation, confinement, and deprivation of their freedom. To maximize egg production, the chicken goes through “Forced molting,” which is an inhumane process of starving chickens to shock them for another egg-laying cycle. Many a time these chicken are forced to lay abnormally large eggs which takes a toll on their lives.
There is a lot of environmental damage due to factory farming. Issues like biodiversity loss, contamination of groundwater, topsoil erosion, groundwater contamination are some of the byproducts of factory farming. It is also a major contributor to global warming.
By embracing veganism, one can bring an end to these barbaric treatment towards animals and ensuring that their lives are valued too. Veganism perforates the supply chain of the meat industry by reducing the demand and ensures longevity of animals in their natural habitats. It is a comforting assurance that compassion and empathy still exist among us.
