"Factory Farming"

[Rycon]

I realize this is a very controversial and heated topic; I just want to get accurate and reliable information about what the food industry is actually like.

So in high school all our health classes watched a documentary called Food, Inc., a film that showed the conditions of animals in large-scale farming operations. It was a fairly recent film (2008 I think?) so I would assume that it's not outdated information. I came across the film on Netflix and watched parts of it on a whim. A big thing that bothered me was the amount of chickens packed in one chicken coop without windows or light, and how they were genetically altered so they grew so fast they couldn't bear their own weight for more than a few steps. The chicken farmers interviewed were not allowed by Tyson to show the inside of their coops, which on one end I understand, because they're afraid of the film portraying them in a negative light, but on the other it's sketchy, because it suggests they know the public would be upset at the conditions inside. I saw this from the documentary; I haven't been inside a chicken coop, but the long coops I see without windows do give me unease.

Both of my parents grew up on dairy farms, and one of my grandparents still keeps dairy cows. I wouldn't say they live in horrific conditions, but they are constantly standing in a foot of feces and urine, and their bodies are covered in it as well.

My uncle is a dairy nutritionist. He said that factory farming is a false term from the media, and there are several large dairy farms he works with (he mentioned Fair Oaks as an example) that treat their animals well and have been for a long time.

That is the extent of my knowledge about the food industry. I realize there are extreme biases on both sides, and because of that I don't trust any of the resources completely and I don't feel like I have accurate information. I want to know what conditions are actually like for animals in the food industry without sugarcoating or withholding information.

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[pinkpuppy9]

I realize this is a very controversial and heated topic; I just want to get accurate and reliable information about what the food industry is actually like.

So in high school all our health classes watched a documentary called Food, Inc., a film that showed the conditions of animals in large-scale farming operations. It was a fairly recent film (2008 I think?) so I would assume that it's not outdated information. I came across the film on Netflix and watched parts of it on a whim. A big thing that bothered me was the amount of chickens packed in one chicken coop without windows or light, and how they were genetically altered so they grew so fast they couldn't bear their own weight for more than a few steps. The chicken farmers interviewed were not allowed by Tyson to show the inside of their coops, which on one end I understand, because they're afraid of the film portraying them in a negative light, but on the other it's sketchy, because it suggests they know the public would be upset at the conditions inside. I saw this from the documentary; I haven't been inside a chicken coop, but the long coops I see without windows do give me unease.

Both of my parents grew up on dairy farms, and one of my grandparents still keeps dairy cows. I wouldn't say they live in horrific conditions, but they are constantly standing in a foot of feces and urine, and their bodies are covered in it as well.

My uncle is a dairy nutritionist. He said that factory farming is a false term from the media, and there are several large dairy farms he works with (he mentioned Fair Oaks as an example) that treat their animals well and have been for a long time.

That is the extent of my knowledge about the food industry. I realize there are extreme biases on both sides, and because of that I don't trust any of the resources completely and I don't feel like I have accurate information. I want to know what conditions are actually like for animals in the food industry without sugarcoating or withholding information.

Just a few thoughts:
1. Don't let the phrase 'genetically altered' scare you. It's the same as selective breeding, aka what we've done to every single dog breed in the world. You just breed for the desired traits. Whether or not it's appropriate that our chickens can't walk, that's a question that can be debated on its own.
2. I worked for Disney (so no animal farming there), and we weren't allowed to take pictures backstage. Anything and everything can be twisted and turned in the wrong hands. An excellent animal-related example: https://speakingofresearch.com/2014/02/27/fact-into-fiction-why-context-matters-with-animal-images/
3. It's been shown many times that when given the option of an open pasture vs. a small shelter to cram into, chickens will choose the latter. They are prey animals, after all. I'm not saying it's right to keep them crammed in a small space for the entire 6 weeks they're alive, but it's not entirely far off from their natural tendencies.
4. Each dairy farm is different, but in general, it behooves a farmer to keep their animals and stalls clean. Reduces disease, infection, etc. If the cows you saw were standing in a true foot of waste, that's concerning.
5. It also behooves a farmer to treat their animals well in general. Stressed animals don't produce as well. Their meat/milk quality and quantity is decreased, and therefore the farmer loses profit. Animals with signs of physical abuse often cannot be sold for the max profit either, as there's not a good market for bruised meat.

Any documentary you watch will probably have some sort of intentional misinformation, bias, twisting of words/truth, or facts/quotes taken out of context. What's important is that you do the research for yourself (like you seem to be doing now).

I also am satisfied that I was able to say 'behooves' twice in one post.

 

[battie]

I realize this is a very controversial and heated topic; I just want to get accurate and reliable information about what the food industry is actually like.

So in high school all our health classes watched a documentary called Food, Inc., a film that showed the conditions of animals in large-scale farming operations. It was a fairly recent film (2008 I think?) so I would assume that it's not outdated information. I came across the film on Netflix and watched parts of it on a whim. A big thing that bothered me was the amount of chickens packed in one chicken coop without windows or light, and how they were genetically altered so they grew so fast they couldn't bear their own weight for more than a few steps. The chicken farmers interviewed were not allowed by Tyson to show the inside of their coops, which on one end I understand, because they're afraid of the film portraying them in a negative light, but on the other it's sketchy, because it suggests they know the public would be upset at the conditions inside. I saw this from the documentary; I haven't been inside a chicken coop, but the long coops I see without windows do give me unease.

Both of my parents grew up on dairy farms, and one of my grandparents still keeps dairy cows. I wouldn't say they live in horrific conditions, but they are constantly standing in a foot of feces and urine, and their bodies are covered in it as well.

My uncle is a dairy nutritionist. He said that factory farming is a false term from the media, and there are several large dairy farms he works with (he mentioned Fair Oaks as an example) that treat their animals well and have been for a long time.

That is the extent of my knowledge about the food industry. I realize there are extreme biases on both sides, and because of that I don't trust any of the resources completely and I don't feel like I have accurate information. I want to know what conditions are actually like for animals in the food industry without sugarcoating or withholding information.

So, I bolded a phrase that you put in your original post, and that's something you always have to remember. There are plenty of examples where various portions of the animal industries are improperly portrayed. The big clue will be who helped pay for/produce the media in question (PETA vs ASPCA vs BBC, for example).

My family owns pet stores and we do not allow employees to have their phones on them for a couple reasons, but the original reason is that an ex-employee took photos of dogs in my mom's isolation room and sent them to the department of ag stating that the animals were for sale and were going untreated, and the pictures progressed to being pictures of "dead" dogs in the store over the course of the next three months or so. It was the biggest problem my mom ever dealt with, would have resulted in jail time if we weren't meticulous at keeping records, and ultimately is why my mom left the industry as a whole when the mall sold her spot a year and a half ago.

Misrepresentation is a problem in various animal industries and is always something to keep in mind.

 

[BovineBeauty]

I didn't grow up with animals in general, so I definitely understand where you are coming from. Going into the food animal industry as an undergrad and receiving my bachelor's from an institution with a huge agricultural background has really opened my eyes. It's taught me a lot about where our food comes from and the farmers involved.

From what I can tell, there are good farmers and bad farmers, and even good farmers can have bad employees. If we're talking about the dairy industry, most farmers are quite concerned with their cows' health and welfare. There is huge payback and incentive to keep your cows around as long as possible, because a happy, helathy, older cow will produce more milk than a beat-up, stressed out, underfed cow (and there are physiological reasons behind that). Even still, every farm is structured differently so there's no simple answer addressing the ethics behind "factory" farms. A farmer's job is to essentially balance the quality of life of his animals with making enough profits to pay his bills. It's hard, and that's why I get upset when people talk about farmers like they're just a bunch of evil creeps who want to suck as much money as they can off of animals. There are people in every industry who are in it for the wrong reasons, but the majority of farmers own farms because they love animals and they have a sense of pride in feeding our population.

I applaud Fair Oaks for the leaps and bounds they've made with their museums focused on educating the public about "factory farming." I toured their facilities recently and while it wasn't pristine, it was real and I appreciated the honest and sincere way they taught the principles of farming and thoroughly explained why we raise animals a certain way (especially in the swine industry with breeding and gestation crates). They didn't hide the nitty-gritty, instead they opened their doors wide and educated the tours about everything. As someone who once was ignorant, I'm big into education and really appreciated that.

I don't really have a lot of time to continue writing out my personal opinion on the subject, but you should follow Dairy Carrie on facebook. She's hilarious and her posts are very informative and entertaining. http://dairycarrie.com/

 

[dyachei]

The majority of "factory" farms are family owned. Food, Inc. and several other documentaries are incredibly biased. You should do your own research

 

[BirdsinMyHouse]

Every documentary has an agenda. Remember, they are trying to convince you to subscribe to their point of view, so naturally they don't present the other side of the story. I know a bird vet who was featured in a documentary about the problems pet parrots face, and while they did a good job presenting the negatives, they didn't show parrots acting happy/healthy in a captive setting. The birds in the office were playing, interacting with people, etc, and they chose not to film that. Why? It didn't suit the narrative they were trying to create.

As others have said, there are good farmers and bad farmers. In general, animal welfare is way ahead of where it's been in the past... look at what people like Temple Grandin have done. More importantly, happy/healthy animals are well-producing/growing animals; in general, farmers don't benefit when animals are treated poorly. Beef cattle won't grow as well, dairy cows won't make as much milk, etc.

I do have some beefs (ha!) with the poultry industries, but that's a personal thing. I love egg-laying hens and I'd love to have a small backyard flock one day. Being a bird-lover I realize I am biased here.

Think of it this way: veterinarians in food animal jobs are in a position to help improve animal welfare. If welfare is a passion of yours, you can help clients change things for the better (or attempt to).