Factory Farming Causes Spread of Disease

In "The Triangle of Doom" by Christopher Olsen and "The swine flu crisis lays bare the meat industry's monstrous power" by Mike Davis, conditions of mass production of meat are shown to have widespread effects on our health. More specifically, the conditions on feedlots are conducive to the spread of diseases, such as H1N1. "Old fashioned pig pens" have been transformed into industrial animal farms in order to maximize production. The result is a high density of highly packed animals, exchanging sicknesses due to weakened immune systems. In fact, the crowding of animals has brought about a "continual cycling of viruses," which resulted in catastrophic events for both animals and humans.

Terrible impacts of industrialization in pork and poultry markets reached an all-time high during the Livestock Revolution, during which "the (global) share of mean and milk consumed in developing countries rose from 37 to 53 percent and 34 to 44 percent, respectively from 1983 to 1997." Corporate production has greatly been influenced by the urbanization and high demands of human population, and our need for these animals has created the necessary conditions for viral spread and infection. After all, the chance of disease spreading is far greater on a farm with 5,000 pigs than on a farm of the same size with only 100 pigs. If we realized how factory farming is so bad for humans and animals alike, wouldn't we just change our ways? With demand at such a high level, is this ideal even possible?