California Factory Farms: How They Exploit And Mistreat Farm Animals And Poison Consumers!

In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that would essentially

outlaw the practice of confining farm animals in cages where they do not have enough room to either lie down or even turn around. This comes on the heels of a pending lawsuit by PETA(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) claiming that California's Milk Advisory Board's new "Happy Cow" advertisements for California Milk were misleading.

The ads which show cows in green pastures and wide open spaces and calves in meadows talking happily to their mothers, when in fact the vast majority of cow's are kept in small, very tight fitting pens that prevent them from turning around or even lying down in. But this is only the "tip of the iceberg" concerning milk production and the treatment of farm animals in California and in the rest of the U.S.

The California Milk Board's ads also claim that over 99% of the states dairy farms are family owned. But to achieve this incredible number they have counted all of the rural households that contain only one or two cows. The fact is that the vast majority of cows in California are on large corporate-owned farms in San Joaquin Valley which have 15-20,000 cows on each one.

For the average consumer you might think that this is a very good thing because due to the practices that are employed at these factory farms California cows produce on average of 3,000 pounds more milk per year. This helps to increase profits of these factory farms and to keep the price of milk low. Who doesn't want or even demand cheap milk? But there are many negative consequences to this cheap food.

These cows are routinely "injected with hormones, fed antibiotics, and in general treated with all the compassion of four legged milk pumps. Roughly one third of California's cows suffer from painful udder infections, and more than half suffer from other infections and illnesses". Genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone which is banned in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of European Union is widely used is most of California's large factory dairy farms to help increase milk output. But it also increases bladder infections, lameness in cow's, raises the amount of pus found in milk and may also increase the risk of cancer in humans!

Many countries around the world have tried to ban the importation of beef and milk from the U.S. because it contains hormones and antibiotics but the U.S. Government puts enormous pressure on these countries and they usually relent.

Other problems and issues surrounding this completely inhumane treatment of cows include "one-fourth of California's dairy cows are slaughtered each year (typically at four or five years old), because they've become crippled from painful foot infections or calcium depletion", "the amount of excrement produced each year by the dairy cows in the 50-square mile area of California's Chino Basin would make a pile with the dimensions of a football field and as tall as the Empire State Building.

When it rains heavily, dairy manure in the Chino Basin is washed straight into the Santa Ana River and some makes its way into the aquifer that supplies half of Orange County's drinking water". Nitrates, which have been linked to cancer and birth defect's contaminates water that 65% or 20 Million Californians rely upon.

I understand the need for mass produced foods to help feed our massive population but there is no reason why we have to treat our farm animals in such a deplorable manner, just to increase profits and keep food prices low. Plus they are poisoning their own citizens by polluting the water ways and aquifers that supply water to a large percentage of the population. This whole system needs to be regulated and supervised so the animals are treated in an ethical manner and that people are not put at risk from contamination or exposure to harmful toxins and additives.

by: Patrick Hayes

POST COMMENT

How To Prevent Your Dog Or Puppy From Embarassing You How To Identify And Treat Dog Hair Loss? Provide Your Pet With All The Amenities For A Fulfilling Dining Experience Finding Dog Walking Services Austin Stop Dog Biting Miami Veterinarians For Superior Pet Care What To Look For In Dog Walking Services Austin Corocodile & Snakes Show 5 Reasons To Use A Dog Gps Puppy Training Should Be Short And Fun! How To Locate Dogs For Sale The Wide Range Of Choices In Dog Bedding Yikes! How to Treat a Snake Bite