Factory Farming: Where Does Your Food Really Come From?

In my first post on animal cruelty in factory farms, I had learned about many issues of inhumane treatment in the factory farming industry. Majority of the animals raised for us to eat live painful and unnatural lives, packed together in uncomfortable spaces, stripped of natural behaviors and forced to grow extremely fast so that they can be slaughtered quicker. The livestock raised in this industry are not treated like the sentient beings that they are.

While many are unaware of the mistreatment that goes on in factory farms, there are still people and organizations working to battle this issue. Take Temple Grandin, for example; Grandin is known for her work towards the humane treatment of livestock, particularly cattle, and is one of the most respected experts on animal behavior. Organizations like Animal Equality launch corporate campaigns, educational programs, and undercover investigations to help document and end animal abuse in places like factory farms and slaughterhouses. There are also groups working to spread awareness about factory farming and similar issues, like the Organic Consumers Association. I would say that any and all work being done to advocate and act against animal cruelty in the industrial farming industry is beneficial to this issue.

It took me a while to decide on what to do for my agent of change. During my research, the ideal solution to change industrial farming that kept coming up was to influence it at a systematic level. There are lots of organizations working towards this goal, so I thought that maybe I could somehow donate to them. But the more I talked to family, friends, and peers about the issues in the factory farming industry, the more I realized how little people really know about it. So I changed my approach for the agent of change portion of this project. I wanted to educate members of my community about both the inhumane conditions that industrial livestock lives in, as well as what people can do about it. This second part was very important to me; a lot of times, after learning about an issue or injustice in our world, I’m left wondering what to do to actually create a change. And when it comes to factory farming, there are many ways to create a positive impact without giving up meat completely, like many people assume. I plan on putting my project in the advisory memo next week, as well as spreading it through other communities I am a part of.

Overall, I feel pretty good about my project. I think it is informative, and includes a lot of information on this topic. My presentation also encourages people to make changes when it comes to the animal products they eat in whatever ways they are able to. I just hope it is able to reach as many people as possible. If I could do this project again, I would want to add an extra part where I raised money to donate to one of the organizations I researched, like Animal Equality. Unfortunately, my time management skills this quarter were subpar, but think that I was still able to create a meaningful project.

When I first started my research on the issue of factory farming, I was flooded with information on how animals are mistreated, abused, and killed in this industry. On the surface, all I saw was the bad. But as I dove farther into this topic, I realized that there are a lot of people and organizations working towards a positive change. I think that bringing awareness to the atrocity that is the industrial farming system is a crucial step forward at this point. Whether that is through the media or even just through conversations, more people need to learn about where the food they eat comes from.

Annotated Bibliography