Old Macdonald Had A Farm

Factory farming is a method of farming in which large amounts of livestock are being raised in small confinements. Most people are roughly familiar with many of the problems that emerge from these factory farms.

One of the biggest problems associated with factory farming, especially with swine farms, are the diseases. "Pig flu viruses can be a big problem for the general population. That is because pigs are a genetic crucible for new viruses.. The fear is these new hybrids will prove capable of infecting people readily, while being sufficiently foreign to cause serious illness once they do" (Branswell). Most of us can remember the H1N1 swine flu virus that surfaced in 2009. This was considered a mild outbreak. One could only imagine the severity of an outbreak like the 1918 flu pandemic, which claimed well over fifty million lives.


"Factory farm production is intensifying worldwide, and rates of new infectious disease are rising. Of particular concern is the rapid rise on antibiotic resistant microbes, and inevitable consequence of the widespread use of antibiotics as feed additive in industrial livestock operations" (Sayre). By adding antibiotics to the feed we are helping these new hybrid viruses become stronger. When an outbreak amongst humans does happen, the viruses are extremely difficult to treat since they have already built an immunity against our antibiotics.The ways in which we are raising our food could literally kill us.


Sources:
Branswell, Helen. "Flu Factories." Scientific American Jan. 2011: 46-51.


Sayre, Laura. "The Hidden Link Between Factory Farms and Human Illness." Mother Earth News Feb/March 2009: 76-83.


Picture Source:
http://www.allskull.com/fcked-up-facts/factory-farming-youre-in-denia/