Factory Farms A High Price to Pay for Cheap Meat Essay

Just imagine living in a world where the antibiotics we take for granted are rendered useless due to the rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes. Should factory farms be able to continue the practice of administering antibiotics to otherwise healthy animals? We already know that the misuse of antibiotics can lead to the development of superbugs. Animal agriculture accounts for nearly 80 percent of antibiotics used in our country (Philpott). Most of which are used for nontherapeutic purposes. Even though their use can shorten the confinement time of livestock by increasing the growth rates, they are not necessary and come at a high cost to human health. Nontherapeutic use of antibiotic should be terminated to preserve antibiotics for†¦show more content†¦But it’s possible to change, countries like Denmark and Sweden have led the way in commercial farming methods that minimize antibiotic use (Sayre 76-83). Unfortunately, large scale factory farms in U.S. show lit tle interest in the voluntary use of alternative management strategies as a method improve the overall health and wellbeing of their animals and reduce antibiotics. Finally, the most important reason there should be strict regulations to curb the overuse of antibiotics in factory farming is because this practice is creating breeding grounds for super bugs. A 2008 report from Pew Commission report on Industrial Farm Animal Production concluded that â€Å"of particular concern is the rapid rise in antibiotic-resistant microbes, an inevitable consequence of the widespread use of antibiotics as feed additives in industrial livestock operations† (Sayre 76-83). Most often the superbugs hitch a ride into the surrounding environment in the mountains of waste produced on industrial scale farms. They end up in our ground water, soil, and even our meats. Making themselves know in the ever increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant infections that now kill more people annually than AIDS. Indeed, while antibiotics can shorten the confinement time of livestock by increasing the growth rates and enable farms to keep more animals in less space, itShow MoreRelatedFood, Inc., By Michael Pollan And Eric Schlosser1264 Words   |  6 Pagesthe fast food industry has transformed what people eat. In addition it debates the farming practices and the whole global food system. According to Pollan and Schlosser, farming practices have become so industrialized that today many farms are more like factories. An example of these farming practices can be found in the way chickens are raised. Chickens are often confined together by the thousands in large metal buildings with no access to light or fresh air. In addition they are given steroidsRead MoreThe Omnivore s Dilemma By Michael Pollan922 Words   |  4 Pagesreally know about the food you eat? 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