Why is factory farming frowned upon by vegans and vegetarians?

Answer 1

It's all about the welfare of animals. In factory farming, the welfare of the animals is nonexistent, except when it's profitable for the owner(s) of the said factory farm. For example: Dr. Temple Grandin devised ways to treat animals more humanely on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. It took some time, but many establishments took her up on her ideas. The thing is, the only reason they did is because it increased their profits. Why risk destruction of your "product" when you can treat it with more care and increase profits? On top of that, her ideas never became standard, but rather something to consider when planning for profit.

Factory farms treat animals the same way factories treat their product: As product. Chicken hatcheries dispose of all identified male chicks by macerating them alive. They are considered "inferior product" because they don't produce eggs, and they produce meat at a slower rate than female chickens. Before and after the selection process, all of the chicks are on a conveyor belt, packed in "like sardines", and are dropped from level to level without any concern for their welfare. The ones who survive the process are placed into a machine that holds them by their heads and severs their beaks. At the end of the day, during cleanup, there are chicks that have fallen off of the conveyor belt, and they are simply washed away with scalding-hot, high-pressure water.

Most chickens are kept in battery cages. These cages allow absolutely no comfortable movement. The cages are stacked upon each other, allowing waste from the chickens at the top to drop onto the chickens below them. "Free-range" chickens aren't kept in battery cages, but rather literally stuffed into rooms with other chickens, still without any room to move. The chickens receive absolutely no veterinary care, and those who die from disease or serious injury are regarded simply as 'shrink', or loss of profit.

Dairy farms keep their lactating cows in enclosed areas where they, too, can not move comfortably. They are constantly impregnated in order to induce milk production. Those who lose the ability to produce milk after years of torture are shipped to slaughter, generally used for dog-food and soup-products as their bodies have been under so much stress that their meat isn't useful for much else.

Veal is a "bi-product" of the dairy industry. Because dairy cows must be constantly impregnated, they in turn have a constant supply of offspring. Male calves are doomed to become veal. Within hours of their birth (sometimes days, depending on the establishment), they are taken from their mothers and chained to a short pole that is designed to keep them low to the ground. This method of containment ensures that they can not move at all. After about six months of this torture, they are sent to slaughter to become veal. During transport, they are sometimes forced to attempt to walk on their own, which they can't do because their leg muscles were not given any chance to develop. They simply flop along the floor as if their legs were tentacles.

Male piglets are castrated without any anesthetic. Most piglets, male and female, have their teeth cut and their ears clipped off without any anesthetic. If a pig is deemed to not be growing fast enough, it is doomed for instant slaughter. Many pig-farmers will kill "runts" by picking them up by their hind-legs and slamming their heads into a concrete floor, multiple times, until they die. Others will improperly use a contained-bolt gun, and induce an excruciating, slow death.

One thing is consistent with all animals that are sent to slaughter: Transport. During transport, they are literally stuffed into trucks and shipped off, without any consideration of the weather. If it is blazing hot, many will die of heat-exhaustion. If it is freezing cold, some will stick to the sides of the truck, and many will freeze to death. Those classified as "downers", or animals who can no longer walk on their own, are left to die, and are often beaten and further tortured because of their inability to function.

The cruelty that happens is not limited to what I have stated here. It literally takes many hours of research to uncover what happens with factory farms, not only in the United States, but also worldwide. If you wish to do further research, I recommend the following:

* Watch the movie, "Earthlings." It is available for free on Google Video, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, and shows an extensive portrait of factory farms and cruelty to animals in general.

* Google "Bile Bears".

* Google "Cruelty to reptiles".

* YouTube contains a plethora of animal cruelty videos, if you are truly curious.

* Visit PETA's website.

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AKA: Because vegans and vegetarians think it's cruel. Firstly because they don't like the consumption of meat and secondly because the animals are being killed. And last but not least, because they're WEIRD.