FACTORY FARMING

- Positive and negative

aspects with respect to
poultry PRESENTED BY-
RUPESH(117112)
SADHAN JYOTI DUTTA(117113)
WHAT
IS………

“Factory Farms”- also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs),

emphasize high volume and profit with minimal regard for human health, safe food,
the environment, humane treatment of animals, and the rural economy. The
characteristics of a factory farm vary by animal and region of the country. But the
defining characteristic of such farms is that hundreds to thousands of animals
(mainly beef cattle, dairy cows, pigs, chickens or turkeys) are confined tightly
together and provided little access to sunlight, fresh air or room for natural
movement. They are also characterized by manure “lagoons” or liquid waste
systems. Some facilities produce millions of animals annually. Factory farms can be
family farms, family-owned corporations, or non-family corporations.
HISTORY
!!!!!!!!!
Factory farming expanded in 1920’s, after the
discovery of vitamins A and D. When these vitamins
were added to feed the animals they no longer
required exercise and sunlight for growth. This allowed
animals to be raised indoors, and started wide spread
of disease, which was combated in the 1940’s with the
development of antibiotics.
WHY…….
ECONOMY

Low cost — Intensive agriculture tends to produce food that can be sold at lower
cost to consumers.

Efficient — Animals in confinement can be supervised more closely than free-

ranging animals, and diseased animals can be treated faster. Further, more efficient
production of meat, milk, or eggs results in a need for fewer animals to be raised,
thereby limiting the impact of agriculture on the environment.

Economic contribution — the high input costs of agricultural operations result in

a large influx and distribution of capital to a rural area from distant buyers rather
than simply recirculating existing capital
IMPACT……
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES...
1.Contribution to regional-level nutrient overload.
2. Soil contamination with heavy metals.
3. Ecosystem contamination with drug residues and
hormones.
4. Ecosystem contamination through ammonia deposition.
5. Erosion of biodiversity.
6. Overexploitation of natural resources.
CLIMATE CHANGE….
Produces Greenhouse gases into the air with large amounts of
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrousoxide emissions, which
results in climate changes.
 SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES TO
FACTORY FARMING FOR 2050
 The most effective way to reduce the impact of the livestock industry on the
climate, environment, natural resources and health is to reorient the
world’s animal production towards lower- input, more extensive systems.
 A transition to a global low-meat diet would make an important
contribution to reducing GHG emissions. In addition to reducing emissions
of methane and nitrous oxide, it would act immediately to discourage
deforestation for animal feed production.
 Free-range, organic and good semi-intensive indoor systems provide the
animals with a number of very important welfare advantages that they are
denied in intensive and industrial systems. These include: sufficient space
for exercise; access to daylight and fresh air; opportunity for natural
behaviour such as foraging, exploration and nesting; and reduction in the
frustration, stress and injuries that result from overcrowding in sheds or
feedlots or from close confinement in cages and crates. Animals that are
under less pressure to grow rapidly and produce the highest yields are also
likely to be more robust and to have longer productive lifetimes.
 REFERENCES
1. Poultry production and the environment – a review
P. Gerber, C. Opio and H. Steinfeld Animal Production and Health Division, Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla,
00153 Rome, Italy

2. BEYOND FACTORY FARMING Sustainable Solutions for Animals, People and the
Planet
A Report by Compassion in World Farming – 2009