FACTORY FARMING AND

THE ENVIRONMENTAPRIL WILSON

INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

PROF. BENJAMIN WRIGHT

JUNE 29, 2015

WHAT IS FACTORY FARMING• ACCORDING TO THE ASPCA’S

WEBSITE, “A FACTORY FARM IS A LARGE, INDUSTRIAL OPERATION THAT RAISES LARGE NUMBERS OF ANIMALS FOR FOOD”(NRDC, 2013).

• THE AGE OF THE FAMILY FARM HAS ENDED. NOW, MORE THAN 99% OF ANIMALS IN THE U.S. ARE RAISED ON FACTORY FARMS (NRDC, 2013).

FACTORY FARMS AND THE WATER SUPPLY

• ACCORDING TO THE NRDC, “CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS IDENTITY AGRICULTURE AS THE MAJOR SOURCE OF NITRATE POLLUTION IN MORE THAN 100,000 SQUARE MILES OF POLLUTED GROUND WATER” (NRDC, 2013).

• THE CDC LINKED MISCARRIAGES TO HIGH NITRATE LEVELS IN INDIANA DRINKING WATER IN 1996 (NRDC, 2013).

LAGOONS OF MANURE• HOG FARMS STORE THEIR WASTE IN

LAGOONS ON FARM PROPERTY.

• THESE OPEN AIR LAGOONS CAN BE AS BIG AS SEVERAL FOOTBALL FIELDS (NRDC, 2013).

• HOG FARMS EMIT HYDROGEN SULFITE WHICH, IN HIGH CONCENTRATIONS, CAN LEAD TO BRAIN DAMAGE. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH, 19 PEOPLE DIED DUE TO HYDROGEN SULFITE EMISSIONS FROM MANURE PITS IN 1998 (AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS, 2015).

• BECAUSE THE LAGOONS ARE OPEN TO THE ELEMENTS OF NATURE, IT LEAVES THEM VULNERABLE TO EXTREME CONDITIONS SUCH AS HURRICANES.

OVERFLOWING LAGOONS OF MANURE

• IN 1995, AN EIGHT-ACRE LAGOON IN NORTH CAROLINA BURST. IT SPILLED 25 MILLION GALLONS OF MANURE INTO THE NEW RIVER (NRDC, 2013).

• IN 1999, WHEN HURRICANE FLOYD HIT NORTH CAROLINA, AT LEAST 5 MANURE LAGOONS BURST AND APPROXIMATELY 47 LAGOONS WERE COMPLETELY FLOODED (NRDC, 2013).

• ACCORDING TO THE NRDC, ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR INHABITANTS ARE ENDANGERED BY THE WASTE THESE LARGE LIVESTOCK FARMS GENERATE (MOSSER, 2013).

AN ABANDONED HOG LAGOON IS FLOODED BY TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO IN 2006.

WHAT DO FARMS DO WITH THE MANURE?• ACCORDING TO NATURAL LIFE

MAGAZINE, FACTORY FARMS PRODUCE 500 MILLION TONS OF MANURE A YEAR.

• UNDER LAWS ENFORCED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, ANIMAL FACTORIES ARE ABLE TO DUMP MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF LIQUEFIED MANURE INTO OPEN LAGOONS AND THEN SPRAY THE LIQUID OVER FIELDS.

• ONCE SPRAYED ONTO FIELDS, THE MANURE IS ABLE TO RUN OFF INTO STREAMS OR ABSORB INTO THE SOIL AND POLLUTE WATER SUPPLIES (NATURAL LIFE, 2005).

WHAT’S THE HARM?

• IT ISN’T UNCOMMON FOR DISEASES TO TRANSMIT FROM ANIMALS TO HUMAN.

• IN FACT, TWO THIRDS OF THE KNOWN HUMAN PATHOGENS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE ORIGINATED IN ANIMALS, SAYS SAYRE (2009).

• SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE COMMON COLD ORIGINATED IN CATTLE (SAYRE, 2009).

• MANY OF THESE DISEASES HAVE BEEN CONTROLLED BY VACCINES SINCE THE MID-20TH CENTURY.

CDC.gov, (2013)

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

• ACCORDING TO SAYRE (2009), ONCE THE MICROBES ARE RELEASED INTO THE AIR OR WATER SUPPLY, THEY ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO GET RID OF.

• THE FIRST FACTORY FARM EMERGED IN 1926 (FACTORY-FARMING, 2010-2015).

• FACTORY FARMS HAVE BEEN COMPARED TO POORLY RUN HOSPITALS AND SAID TO BE “TERRIFIC INCUBATORS FOR DISEASE. (SAYRE, 2009).

• DISEASES BEGAN TO SPREAD AND BY THE MID-20TH CENTURY A WAR ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES WAS IN FULL SWING.

• THE INVENTION OF PENICILLIN APPEARED TO HAVE STOPPED THE WAR IN ITS TRACKS.

• HOWEVER, IN THE MID 1970S, DEATHS CAUSED BY NEWLY RESISTANT INFECTIOUS DISEASES STARTED TO RISE AGAIN (SAYRE, 2009).

HOW IS THIS LEGAL?

• “FACTORY FARMS CANNOT RECYCLE THE HUGE AMOUNTS OF MANURE THEY PRODUCE” (SAYRE, 2009).

• IN FACT, ACCORDING TO THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS, THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION PLACED A FARM POLLUTION RULE THAT VIOLATES THE UNITED STATES’ CLEAN WATER ACT. IT ALLOWS LARGE-SCALE FACTORY FARMS TO SPRAY MANURE TO LAND WITHOUT PREVIOUSLY REQUIRED FEDERAL OR STATE OVERSIGHT (NATURAL LIFE MAGAZINE, 2005).

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

• EFFORTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN MAKING CHANGES IN HOW AGRICULTURE IS AFFECTING THE ENVIRONMENT.

• THE OTESHA PROJECT IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT PERFORMS EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS PRIMARILY TO YOUTH GROUPS.

• THEIR FOCUS IS ON RE-EVALUATING DAILY CHOICES, CONSERVING RESOURCES, AND VOTING WITH CONSUMER DOLLARS (NATURAL LIFE MAGAZINE (2005).

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

• IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT WATER

• FACTORY FARMS ARE PRACTICING DANGEROUS WASTE REMOVAL PRACTICES THAT ARE CONTAMINATING THE WATER SUPPLY AND AIR QUALITY.

• DEMANDING CLEANER, SAFER WATER CAN DETERMINE THE HEALTH OF THE FUTURE.

• ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST GROUPS GENERALLY FOCUS ON TWO METHODS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT.

1. INFORMING THE PUBLIC- GROUPS SUCH AS PETA AND THE ASPCA REGULARLY HOLD NON VIOLENT RALLIES AND HAND OUT LEAFLETS ON BUSY STREETS TO HELP MAKE THE PUBLIC AWARE OF HOW AGRIBUSINESS IS DAMAGING THE ENVIRONMENT.

2. CONSUMER DOLLARS- ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS BELIEVE THAT THE CORNERSTONE OF CHANGING THE WAY THE ENVIRONMENT IS TREATED IS VOICING ONES OPINIONS THROUGH CONSUMER DOLLARS. DUE TO SUPPLY AND DEMAND, THE MORE THE DEMAND FOR ANIMAL PRODUCTS DECREASES, FACTORY FARMS WILL RAISE LESS LIVESTOCK AND IN TURN PRODUCE LESS WASTE.