Chicken tops the world’s bird population, thanks to the the growth of mega farms. Photograph: Rob Stothard
No George Orwell’s animal farm this, instead most resemble industrial warehouses. Photograph: Rob Stothard
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/18/rise-of-mega-farms-how-the-us-model-of-intensive-farming-is-invading-the-world
Demand for cheaper food and lower production costs is turning green fields into industrial sheds to process vast amounts of meat and poultry
UK has nearly 800 livestock mega farms, investigation reveals
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/17/uk-has-nearly-800-livestock-mega-farms-investigation-reveals
With Brexit, campaigners fear the pressure from international trade may bring even more US-style practices to Britain. British farm standards have been higher than EU-wide welfare practices in the past, and now are in line with the EU, but in future there could be pressure to lower standards in order to compete with imports.
Emma Slawinski, director of campaigns at Compassion in World Farming, said the problems of mega farms around the world included over-medication, where animals are given antibiotics whether they are needed or not. “Factory-farmed animals are regularly given antibiotics in their feed or water, because of the higher risk of disease when large numbers of animals are kept in these overcrowded conditions. There is strong evidence that this overuse of antibiotics in intensive farming is contributing to antibiotic resistance in human medicine. If animals cannot remain healthy within the conditions in which they are placed, then it is time to take a closer look at our farming systems.” |  0 02017/07/19, 1:03:30 凌晨 |
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