Farming in the United States today is widely done in factory farms, which are large facilities where thousands of pigs are raised. The rooms where the pigs are farmed are very cramped and where they are born the sows or mother pigs are allowed just enough room to stand.

Factory Farms vs Family Farms: Which One is Better for US Farming?

When the piglets are born they and their mother are moved to to another crate that has only enough space for the sow to lay down, but not enough to turn around. They piglets who in nature usually bond with their mothers are separated as soon as 10 days after birth. Factory farms however are not the only kinds of farms in the United States.

Another kind of farm is a family farm or a small farm. These kinds of farms are not how most meat is produced, but those who own their own farms can enjoy certain things like knowing how the meat that they eat (if they eat meat) comes from. This is something that most people cannot take for granted, having to make sure that our meat is raised ethically and slaughtered humanely.

For most people this is a challenging process and one that they are unwilling to complete using labels on the packaging that do not mean anything, they are just stickers that the provider puts on the package that makes you want to buy their product. There are a few organizations dedicated to helping put a stop to animal cruelty.

The organizations that help are:

These organizations are only the beginning of change for less animal cruelty, they can only succeed if the people know about what they do and why they do it.

Works Cited

“7 All-Star Organizations Fighting for Farm Animal Protection.” One Green Planet, 13 Nov. 2015, www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/organizations-fighting-for-farm-animal-protection/.

“FSIS.” Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms, www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms.

“Pigs: Intelligent Animals Suffering in Farms and Slaughterhouses.” PETA, www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/pigs-intelligent-animals-suffering-factory-farms-slaughterhouses/.

Publications, Inc. Ogden. “Pig Slaughter and Butchering a Pig on the Farm – Animals – GRIT Magazine.” Grit, www.grit.com/animals/livestock/pigs/butchering-a-pig-zm0z16sozreg.