Animal Agriculture

Animal Agriculture
Introduction
The increased consumption of animal products worldwide has contributed to a need for animal agriculture. But what is animal agriculture, and is it a positive or negative activity in the world today? According to Eisen and Brown, animal agriculture refers to the use of animals for food production through livestock production [1]. Animal agriculture is a source of animal products such as eggs, meat, and milk for human consumption. Lingel defines animal agriculture as the “mass industrialization of the breeding, raising, and slaughter of animals for human consumption [2]." When approached from this angle, animal agriculture seems necessary because it helps feed human beings. However, this practice has enormous adverse effects on animals, the environment, and human beings. Animal agriculture promotes animal cruelty, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, and accounts for some food and health problems humans face.
Description of Issue
As the world population expands and the demand for animal products increases, animal agriculture has expanded globally. However, as Eisen and Brown reveal, the growth of animal agriculture has been met with skepticism and controversy because the magnitude of its negative effects against its positive effects is high, primarily because of how it affects animals, the environment, and human beings [1]. There have been calls to end animal agriculture because of its impact on the world. For instance, it contributes to the cruelty of chickens, cows, and pigs, which are raised on factory farms under unnatural conditions. In fact, more than 95% of animals reared for human consumption in the US come from factory farms, where they experience immense cruelty and suffering [2]. In addition, animal agriculture is responsible for 65% of the nitrous oxide emissions in the world [3], 5% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, 44% of anthropogenic methane emissions, and occupies a third of the land surface [4]. All these place a massive strain on the planet. Also, Conzachi reveals that the food fed to animals in developing countries contributes to the starvation of 82% of children in those countries [3]. It also contributes to poor health among farm workers [5]. This indicates that some human beings benefit from animal agriculture while others suffer due to animal agriculture.
Supporting Information 1
As mentioned above, one of the issues associated with animal agriculture is animal cruelty and suffering. Primarily, animal agriculture involves rearing animals for slaughter, which accounts for animal suffering and cruelty [2]. This has contributed to some people advocating for humane treatment of animals, yet the conditions under which they are reared, even if for other purposes other than meat production, are cruel. For instance, animals are forced to breed continuously under unnatural conditions, which affect their health and cause physical suffering [2]. In addition, they are reared to grow at an abnormal rate so they can be sold fast, and as a result, many cows are slaughtered before they are mature, and many chickens are fed to overweight standards to produce more meat [2].
Supporting Information 2
Further, animal agriculture contributes to...