Factory+Farms.....not+only+an+animals+worst+nightmare

=FACTORY FARMS= Morgan Kingston Student No. : n8598860 =

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Presenting the Artifact
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This video is part of an Australian campaign by Voiceless: the animal protection institute. The campaign involved two separate TV advertisements and a poster with the intent of increasing the awareness of animal cruelty within factory farms in Australia. The advertisement firstly displays Hugo Weaving, a well-known Australian actor, discussing the prominent issue of animal welfare in Australian factory farms. The advertisement continues displaying a scene involving a couple in a restaurant ordering meals that include pork. The waiter then takes the couple to the kitchen of the restaurant where they select a pig from those displayed in the factory farm living conditions of pigs before their slaughter and use as food. = =

The Public Health Issue
The treatment of animals used in food consumption and the ethics of eating meat that has been produced via factory farming is a pressing public health issue. Each year in Australia five hundred million animals are subjected to lives of pain and distress (Voiceless, 2012). The Australian public is oblivious to these abhorrent conditions. Hugo Weaving makes the issue more comprehendible to the general public when he states that if a person was to treat a cat or a dog with the same sorts of living conditions as animals in factory farms they would likely be prosecuted for animal cruelty. Whie animals are exploited for their products internationally, this should not be an issue in first world countries where high levels of legislation encompasses the food industry. = =

Literature Review
“Factory farming (FAK-tuh-ree FAHR-ming) noun: an industrialized system of producing meat, eggs, and milk in large-scale facilities where the animal is treated as a machine” (Wordsmith 2013). This definition paints a stark of the lifestyle that animals used in factory farming are destined for. Australian farms have undergone large changes since their establishment less than 250 years ago. Livestock are no longer viewed as animals but rather as commodities required to sate the ever increasing demand of meat products (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Factory farming is a pressing issue in Australia that affects all citizens. Its negative effects are detrimental not only to the animals (Putting Meat on the Table, 2008), but according to Animals Australia (2010.) factory farming is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, land destruction and deforestation. Further, the waste produced by this industry is approximately 130 times that of humans. Improperly disposed of or treated, it seeps into water ways damaging our marine ecosystems (Animals Australia, 2010). Animals bred for factory farm use experience a shortened life of cruelty and suffering (Voiceless, 2012). The livestock are kept indoors for almost the entirety of their lives, briefly seeing the free range environment from the truck on the way to the abattoir. Battery hens are given the space equivalent to an A4 page to live; sows are often kept in cages where they cannot move or turn around; and cattle, goats and sheep are starved and packed into unimaginably confined quarters to be “processed” for slaughter (RSPCA, 2013). The animals are regularly subjected to highly inhumane practices in effort to increase the productivity of the farming process. The living conditions or pigs are not only small but often have hard concrete floors with little or no straw and are commonly littered with the pigs own waste(Peta, 2013). Hens are routinely de-beaked as a method to try and reduce cannibalism brought about by cramped living quarters. Piglets are often, relieved of their tails and the ends of their teeth with pliers, without anaesthetic. Other forms of medication are provided to the animals in abundance to prevent diseases but painkillers are withheld from the animals even though they are in severe pain (RSPCA, 2013). Another negative by-product of the shift away from traditional farming methods to factory farms is the creation of antibiotic resistant diseases. The vast majority of animals living in close quarters are in bacteria promoting environments, where they are fed high quantities of drugs and antibiotics to keep them alive (Animal Liberation, 2004). Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Listeria and food poisoning are just several of the most common outcomes caused by the poor living conditions and the over use of drugs and antibiotics in the pursuit of productivity(//O’Brien, T., Adock, M,. 2001//). This diet heavily supplemented with antibiotics, results in meat tainted by retained traces of the drugs passing onto the consumer. Evelyn B. Pluhar (2010.) states that "From various ethical perspectives, including utilitarianism and moral rights theory, avoiding ﬂesh farming through vegetarianism is morally justiﬁed.” Vegetarianism is one solution that has been put forward to rectify this pressing public health issue (Pimentel, D., Pimentel, M. 2003). While universal vegetarianism and veganism are solutions to removing factory farms from society, fully removing meat from our culture may not be advisable or possible. In-Vitro meat is another approach that is being discussed as a solution to this problem. In-Vitro meat is laboratory grown meat, made possible through the use of stem cells. A single cell is stimulated to grow forming a dense mass of cells, eventually resulting in the cells fusing into a solid slab of meat (Sachan, N., Singh, V. P. & Verma, A. K. 2012). Although this would solve the problems that accompany factory farms, in-vitro meat also has some flaws. Donor cells are required from the type of animal the laboratory intends to replicate. Meats such as steak and other meats containing blood vessels are presently out of the reach of lab-grown meat. The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) support both of the above alternatives to factory farms, even going as far as providing monetary incentives to those that can make advances towards solving the problem (Pluhar, E, P,. 2010). Australia has yet to realise the true nature of where they get their meat, and what it went through to get to their plate. If Australians wish to continue to consume the meat from sentient beings it will need to pay more heed to the conditions in which they are raised, if not there will be serious environmental and health related consequences.

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Cultural and Social Analysis
In recent years the demand and consumption of beef, lamb, chicken and pork has increased (Fraser, G.E., Singh, N.P., Sabare, J. 2003). Further, Australians consume 111kg of meat a year in comparison to the 32kg consumed on average by those in developing countries (World Watch Institute 2013). As a nation it is considered culturally appropriate to consume meat recreationally and to excess. This is especially evident, through the tradition of the backyard barbeque on public holidays, the ever present fund raising sausage sizzle and the challenge of the 1kg steak becoming more prevalent on public dining menus. This type of excessive meat consumption is not displayed in many other countries in the world. The demand and availability of this meat can only be satisfied by factory farms, the animals are treated as machines instead of the responsive beings they are. Factory farms are a perfect example of how McDonalisation is at work in Australian Society. McDonalisation is based on four principals: Traditional farming methods are not as efficient, predictable, calculable or able to be controlled as Factory farms. The Emphasis of the factory farm is to get the product as quickly as possible to the consumer in the largest quantity at the least cost to the supplier. The result is an inferior product produced on a large scale at the cost of the welfare of the animals involved (Speedy, A. W. 2003). McDonalisation is a social theory that can only exist in a capitalistic society, such as the one found in Australia. Capitalism endorses the concept of competitive markets which, in the case of the meat industry, only serves to promote the use of factory farms as an efficient means of supplying meat to meet Australians demand. Lower social classes within Australia will be able to afford less quality cuts of meat but health related problems will affect the entire meat eating population. Those that can afford to eat meat more often tend to do so, unknowingly putting themselves at risk whilst perpetuating the McDonalisation of the Australian meat industry. The RSPCA is currently lobbying for legislative change for animal welfare and their treatment of animals in factory farms (RSPCA, 2012). Other groups like Voiceless “the animal protection institute” and Animal Australia both have awareness programs and encourage the promotion of legislative change in animal welfare for factory farms. There has been movement towards removing caged eggs from Australian supermarkets, with recent success involving Woolworths and its pledge to phase out caged eggs by 2018 (Animals Australia, 2013). This is just a small part of the community that is moving to make changes towards the improvement of animal welfare. Each group (RSPCA, Voiceless and Animals Australia) have their own campaigns against different forms of animal cruelty and injustice in Australia, factory farming repeatedly featuring as the focus. The largest factor that prevents the removal of factory farms in Australia is the lack of awareness that such animal cruelty is occurring in Australia. The question remains, who or what has prevented the majority of the public from knowing about factory farms? And why is it only now that something is being done to redress this issue? = =
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Analysis of the artifact and your own learning reflections
The artefact that I chose at the start of this WIKI was a video advertisement that contributed to a campaign run by Voiceless “the animal protection institute”. The ad foregrounded the issue of factory farms by contrasting the living conditions of pigs used in these farms and a restaurant that uses the meat. The people represented the meat eating public as condoning the manner in which these animals are treated whether you realise it or not. The video is designed to promote awareness of factory farms and what exactly you are choosing to eat and how it came to be on your plate. I believe that meat is important in maintaining a balanced diet, however I do not believe that animals should be inhumanely treated to acquire their meat products. The demand for meat in Australia is very high due to our lifestyle and our cultural background. This makes me doubt that Australia will ever be a country that does not need to rely on meat. However I do believe that it is possible for Australia’s citizens to limit their meat consumption and eliminate the need for factory farms, thus improving countless animals’ quality of life. In the process reducing the impact of the by-products of the industry, improving greenhouse emissions and reducing the amount of water lost to raising livestock. This assignment has been very informative and has made me re-think my view on meat consumption. Each time I consume meat it has consequences for more than just myself. I have begun to think more thoroughly about impact that individuals can have on the meat industry.

Reference List
Alexander, R. (2011). In Vitro Meat: A Vehicle for the Ethical Rescaling of the Factory Farming Industry and In Vivo Testing or an Intractable Enterprise?. //Intersect: The Stanford Journal Of Science, Technology And Society, 4 //(1), 42-47. Retrieved from @http://ojs.stanford.edu/ojs/index.php/intersect/article/view/271 Animals Australia. (2010). What is factory farming? Retrieved November 2, 2013, from [] Animals Australia. (2010). New report condemns factory farming. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from [] Animals Australia. (2010). For the planet. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from [] Animal Liberation. (2004). What is Factory Farming? A Multi-Billion Dollar Agribusiness Industry. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from [] Australian Veterinary Association. (2005). 9.2 Sow housing. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from [] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012). //1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2012: Farming in Australia.// Retrieved from [] Evelyn B. P. (2010). Meat and Morality: Alternatives to Factory Farming. //Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 57, 455-468.// doi: 10.1007/s10806-009-9226-x Fraser, G.E., Singh, N.P., Sabare, J. (2003). Does low meat consumption increase life expectancy in humans? //The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78,// 5265-5325. Retrieved from [|http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/526S.long#abstract-1] [|Gu, Z] ., [|Gao, Y] ., [|Li, B] ., [|Lin, B] ., [|Liu, Z] ., [|Wang, C] ., [|Zhong, Z]. (2011). Impacts of a freedom farrowing pen design on sow behaviours and performance. //Preventative Veterinary Medicine, 4,// 296-303, doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2011.08.001 O’Brien, T., Adock, M., Jeremy, R., Pickard, B.M. (2001) //Factory farming and human health: The Ecologist Report. Retrieved from// [] PETA: people for ethical treatment of animals. (2013). Pigs used for food. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from [] 3380 Pew Commission on Industrial Farm animal: Production Putting Meat on the Table. (2008). Retrieved from: [] Pimentel, D., Pimentel, M. (2003). Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment. //The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78,// 6605-6635. Retrieved from [] RSPCA. (2013). Farming facts. Retrieved November 3, 2013, from [] Sachan, N., Singh, V. P. & Verma, A. K. (2012) In Vitro Meat - The Start of New Era in Meat Production. //International Journal of Livestock Research//, 2 (1), 38-51. Retrieved from [] Speedy, A. W. (2003). Global Production and Consumption of Animal Source Foods. //The American Society of Nutritional Sciences journal of nutrition, 133,// 40485-40535. Retrieved from [] Wordsmith.org (2013). A.Word.A.Day factory farming. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from [] Worsley, A., Lea, E. (2001). Influences on meat consumption in Australia: //Appetite, 36,// 127-136 doi: 10.1006/appe.2000.0386 Voiceless: the animal protection institute. (2012, Sunday 19 February) Major ad campaign launches. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from [] Voiceless: the animal protection institute. (2012, Sunday 19 February) Factory Farming. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from []

Learning Engagement and Reflection Task
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