Cafos Research Paper

Words: 503
Pages: 3

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Get Rid of Them
In many concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, the cattle raised are sometimes made to eat parts of other cattle (55). As the general population may already know, cows are natural herbivores which means they don't eat meat, but these CAFOs are not only forcing their animals to eat things they aren't made to eat, but are dealing them a great deal of harm in the process. CAFOs started turning up in the early to mid 1900's. People started trading out their small family farms for much larger, industrial farms. They, instead of having cows, pigs, chicken, sheep, and corn, now only had cows, or pigs, or chickens. The farms that were once similar to the ones children watch in cartoons
…show more content…
According to Michael Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma, "The feedlots are... breeding grounds for new and deadly bacteria. Some of these bacteria are finding their way into our food" (49). In this particular example Michael Pollan is stating an issue with a typical CAFO containing only cattle. The bacteria that is produced in these feedlots is potentially deadly for any living creature. This is the kind of stuff people are putting on their plates and feeding to their children, deadly bacteria. In the article Industrial Farming the author says, "In addition, milk cows are routinely injected with synthetic hormones to make them produce more milk, a practice that critics charge causes painful diseases in cows" (Farming, Industrial).The animals already have been exposed to deadly bacteria and disease. Now they are being injected with things to make them produce more product. The animals are getting sick off of the hormones and are becoming even unhealthier than they were before. In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan states, "These animals have evolved to eat grass. But in a CAFO they are forced to eat corn-at a considerable cost to their health..." (49). The cows are herbivores. They aren't supposed to eat meat. They also aren't supposed to eat corn. The corn does not digest properly in their stomachs. This causes them a lot of pain. These things all present the