Cafos Research Paper

According to ASPCA, 99% of farm animals in the U.S. are raised in factory farms. CAFOs are Confined Animal Feeding Operations, they raise all kinds of animals in poor conditions, confined spaces, and feed them unnatural foods, although some people think they are good. They also cause a lot of pollution to the air. People should stop raising animals on CAFOs, because they are raised in poor living conditions and are fed unnatural feed.
CAFO animals are treated inhumane. The animals raised on CAFOs live in poor living conditions. Firstly, ASPCA.org states, “Their pens are too small and crowded for adequate movement and exercise, and have hard slatted floors that prevent natural behaviors like rooting.”. This shows the living conditions are harsh …show more content…
This negatively affects their health and is another reason why animals should not be raised on CAFOs. Firstly, in the book, Omnivore's Dilemma, author Michael Pollan states, "But in a CAFO they are forced to eat corn-at considerable cost to their health, to the health of the land, and ultimately to the health of us, their eaters"(Pollan 49). This corn-based diet is affecting the health of the cow which is ultimately making us sicker. Secondly, author Pollan states, "Feeding corn to a steer changes the chemistry of the rumen, making it acid and causing a kind of heartburn that in some cases can kill the animal, but usually just makes him sick"(Pollan 59). Since the CAFOs are feeding their cattle corn, it is making the cow sick and making them die which proves my point that this corn affects them negatively. On the contrary, Pollan writes, "KingCorn shoved the other plants and animals off the farm. Now it is winning out in the supermarket too. It is so cheap and comes in so many different forms, the other foods just can't compete."(Pollan 83). Corn is so cheap that farmers dont want to choose anything else, and it keeps their meat cheap. To counter, Pollan states, "However, the rumens of corn-fed cattle are nearly as acidic as our stomachs. New types of bacteria have evolved to live in those acid-filled rumens. Those new bacteria don't get killed by the acids in our stomachs."(Pollan 59). Now bacteria can live in a corn-fed

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