Eating Animals: The Cost is Sickening: An Annotated Bibliography
Angelova, Kamelia. "13 Stunning Facts About The Rise Of Industrial Meat Farming In America." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 27 Jan. 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. .
Kamelia Angelova’s “13 Stunning Facts about The Rise of Industrial Meat Farming in America” was a look at thirteen facts, which truly shined light the explosive growth of factory farming in America. Angelova points out that between 1997 and 2007, every day, factory farms added: 4,600 hogs, 650 (dairy) cows, and 1,100 beef cattle. During the same time period, factory farms added 5,800 broiler chickens, an hour! These statistics show the rapid production at which animals are being added to the factory farming system, …show more content…
The article also points out that the impact could even result in a pandemic, such as H1N1 or bird flu and that the overuse of antibiotics is altering the required treatment of these diseases in humans. The author estimates that the overuse of antibiotics, can and has been shown to lead to drug-resistant bacteria, which is estimated to have an annual cost of $30 billion to treat, each year. In addition to the fiscal costs, the author points out that annually over 5000 deaths, and 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses are reported. (There is obviously some bias, to be expected from this publication, but the facts are hard to ignore.) This source was helpful in exposing the risks that we at meat-eaters are taking when we eat meat (the risk of being exposed to antibiotics, and other drugs through the food we eat). Also, that the living conditions we are exposing these animals to in a factory farm environment, creates a breeding ground for potential pandemics like H1N1 or bird flu. This strengthens my thesis that the foods we eat are actually making us sick. It also points out many other negative externalities of factory farming including, waste pollution and the environment, animal welfare, economics, and antibiotics and public …show more content…
One key fact is that over 80% of all of the antibiotics produced are put directly into the animals themselves, our food supply. So each time we eat animals, we are constantly being exposed to antibiotics (possibly leading to drug-resistant diseases). The author points out that these drugs are given to make up for the extremely poor living conditions the animals are exposed to, “like living on top of one another 's waste.” She goes on to point out that most of the antibiotics “were specifically administered to artificially increase rapid growth.” This article was helpful in putting into perspective that although the intention of the antibiotics seems positive, the end result is much worse than the intention, and we are also paying the cost. With these animals being constantly exposed to antibiotics, it means we are constantly being exposed to antibiotics (possibly leading to drug-resistant superbugs.) This strengthens my thesis that the foods we eat are actually making us sick. Factory farming has created an environment that unfortunately requires the animals to ingest more and more antibiotics because of their horrid living conditions, and through eating those animals, humans are ingesting more and more antibiotics. Factory farming has created a cycle
Angelova, Kamelia. "13 Stunning Facts About The Rise Of Industrial Meat Farming In America." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 27 Jan. 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. .
Kamelia Angelova’s “13 Stunning Facts about The Rise of Industrial Meat Farming in America” was a look at thirteen facts, which truly shined light the explosive growth of factory farming in America. Angelova points out that between 1997 and 2007, every day, factory farms added: 4,600 hogs, 650 (dairy) cows, and 1,100 beef cattle. During the same time period, factory farms added 5,800 broiler chickens, an hour! These statistics show the rapid production at which animals are being added to the factory farming system, …show more content…
The article also points out that the impact could even result in a pandemic, such as H1N1 or bird flu and that the overuse of antibiotics is altering the required treatment of these diseases in humans. The author estimates that the overuse of antibiotics, can and has been shown to lead to drug-resistant bacteria, which is estimated to have an annual cost of $30 billion to treat, each year. In addition to the fiscal costs, the author points out that annually over 5000 deaths, and 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses are reported. (There is obviously some bias, to be expected from this publication, but the facts are hard to ignore.) This source was helpful in exposing the risks that we at meat-eaters are taking when we eat meat (the risk of being exposed to antibiotics, and other drugs through the food we eat). Also, that the living conditions we are exposing these animals to in a factory farm environment, creates a breeding ground for potential pandemics like H1N1 or bird flu. This strengthens my thesis that the foods we eat are actually making us sick. It also points out many other negative externalities of factory farming including, waste pollution and the environment, animal welfare, economics, and antibiotics and public …show more content…
One key fact is that over 80% of all of the antibiotics produced are put directly into the animals themselves, our food supply. So each time we eat animals, we are constantly being exposed to antibiotics (possibly leading to drug-resistant diseases). The author points out that these drugs are given to make up for the extremely poor living conditions the animals are exposed to, “like living on top of one another 's waste.” She goes on to point out that most of the antibiotics “were specifically administered to artificially increase rapid growth.” This article was helpful in putting into perspective that although the intention of the antibiotics seems positive, the end result is much worse than the intention, and we are also paying the cost. With these animals being constantly exposed to antibiotics, it means we are constantly being exposed to antibiotics (possibly leading to drug-resistant superbugs.) This strengthens my thesis that the foods we eat are actually making us sick. Factory farming has created an environment that unfortunately requires the animals to ingest more and more antibiotics because of their horrid living conditions, and through eating those animals, humans are ingesting more and more antibiotics. Factory farming has created a cycle