why do people eat intensively farmed animals?

Question

Don't people realise how cruel this is, animals boxed up in concrete cells, never knowing daylight, pumped with growth hormones.
Do you know where your ham in your sandwich came from?
why dont people think about where the meat came from?
Why don't people associate meat with animals?
It's really weird.
Hugh Fernley Whittingstall is great.

'Eat organic or free-range or not at all' that's my motto

Answer 1

I agree totally. It's ignorance as if people went to the factories and slaughter houses and saw all the chemicals and substances put into the animals and their treatment they would probably not want to eat the meat. Unfortunately people don't want to know, they just know it tastes good and they want to eat it and they don't want to hear about the facts or suffering of the animals.

Things take time to change. Already in the UK for example the publics pressure on the farming industry has led to slowly lowering prices and more availability of free-range and organic. The price certainly puts people off but this could all change with more pressure on the industry to act ethically in the interests of the animals and also public health.

Intensive farming is not only cruel for the animals but bad for our health as by eating the meat we also eat the hormones and anti biotics pumped into them to keep them alive. This is itself could lead to resistance of the anti biotics against terrible epidemics for example bird flu.

The farmers are not at fault. It is down to the public to put pressure on the government and make want they want known. The government needs to support the farming industry in more ethical and healthier farming practices.

Answer 2

Why do we eat them, cos it tastes sooooooo good and not all of us are fortunate enough to be able to afford more expensive free range eco friendly happy smiling little piggy's we have to rely on the unhappy sad fat pigs for our food, now when you grow up you may understand this. But having said that you probably wont, now bring on the GM crops to feed a starving nation or maybe some nice yummy soilent green Mmmmmmm nice with Chianti
ps: love your motto translated it means its OK to kill and munch a happy smiley animal but dont eat a sad one thats been trapped in a pen cos you would be better of starving to death. Going for a career in politics are you, bet its the green party, ohhhh look yet another windmill thats about half the power of a duracell AAA battery, Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzz

Answer 3

It's a matter of convenience. If you're living in the downtown section of a highly populated city, it's not as if you're going to be farming or butchering your own livestock. Instead, you just go to KFC and have some chicken, or go to McDonald's and have a burger. It's a cheap and easy alternative to farming. And have you ever priced organic meat in relation to the regular intensively-farmed variety you can pick up at Wal-Mart? I was at a health food store and saw two pitiful-looking little free-range steaks, and they wanted nearly $25 for them. They also had a pack of bacon for about $13 (a normal pack of bacon at the regular grocery store retails for about $2.50-5.00). Now honestly, who's going to buy that?

Answer 4

that's nice, but you are paying extra fornot knowing what your food ate. Most free range animals contain salmonella, and botulism when first sent to the slaughterhouse. and most of those places aren't inspected regularly. Sorry, but I'll continue to buy chicken produced in the 'factory' right next to the inspectors' main office in my area. All organic means is that the price is higher and they aren't fed meat biproducts, which, compliments of a few shipments of tainted feed from Montana, is not allowed here in Alberta any more.

Answer 5

I grew up in farm country, both family and corporate.

I know exactly where the ham in my sandwich comes from: Wilbur and Babe. And I am glad for it.

Basically, I eat any meat that shows up in my grocery shelf these days; frankly I do not care how it got there anymore, as long as it is affordable.

Answer 6

Because they're cheap. Most people who are bringing up a family can't afford to buy organic or free range or whatever.

Answer 7

Have you ever been to a cattle ranch or pig farm? The animals are not kept in concrete "cells". I have been to both as well as a "chicken farm". The animals were well taken care of and treated very humanely.

Please site your sources.

Answer 8

because were all to lazy too pull out the knife and go earn our food. anyway about the chemicals. life expectancy is ever growing since the initialization of growth hormones and preservatives. Some people die early because they don't watch what they eat.

Answer 9

i agree they shouldn't be treated cruel, but i also agree they are food, have you seen a chicken? they are pudgy little birds that can't fly, they were made to be eaten, how about a cow? they are slow fat animals filled with milk and beef, they look like food to me

Answer 10

Cause it is nice, I am sure we would eat organic if it was cheaper