If there’s anything our recent times have illuminated, it would be the abusive extremities to which factory farms treat their farm animals. In America itself, there are approximately 10 billion farm animals that are raised in factory farms, referred to as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). CAFOs notoriously maintain unsanitary and crowded conditions in which to raise their farm animals. Many meat suppliers have normalized taking advantage of farm animals and inflicting great amounts of harm on them for the sole purpose of fast breeding and mass production. Not only are factory farm animals inhumanely slaughtered, but their treatment leading up to the slaughter is no less harmful than the slaughter itself.
Juxtaposed against the ideal pasture-raised farm treatment, reality poses otherwise: shut-in confinement, unsanitary living conditions, polluted air and water, and the sheer absence of humanity. The COVID-19 pandemic called for the shutdown of numerous factory farms, calling for increased animal abuse in the name of frugality. This means that many industrial factory farms resorted to depopulation: carried out through eliminating ventilation and water-based foam. However, these efforts to cut costs prematurely terminate the lives of animals, doing so slowly and painfully. Such welfare deductions exacerbate the already disastrous situations that factory farms create for their farm animals.
This year, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) have introduced The Farm System Reform Act (H.R.4421/S.2332), which promotes the humane treatment of animals by aiming to halt construction of new CAFOs, with the hopes of eliminating all existing large CAFOs by 2040, and providing financial assistance to farmers transitioning to higher-welfare farming practices. If passed, the Farm System Reform Act would significantly improve conditions for farm animals and create safer, healthier conditions for farm workers and rural communities as well.
It is increasingly important to support these policy reforms, as they will revolutionize farm animal treatments for the better. Despite the unfortunate popularity of harsh factory farm conditions, the public opinion proves the contrary. According to an ASPCA survey, 74% of US consumers believe the government should support farmers who transition to higher-welfare farming. It’s time the “happy animals living on pastures” on the packaging become a normalized reality.
For more information, and resources as to how to take action, please refer to this advocacy video by the ASPCA: America’s Food System Is Broken
Comments