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Why Factory
Farms are an Issue
We believe that one of the most important issues facing our
state is the future structure of the livestock industry. The issue
is whether livestock will be raised on sustainable family farms
or produced in large, capital-intensive confinement facilities that
concentrate the animals and their wastes in vast quantities and
concentrate economic control in the hands of absentee investors.
Think
about what’s at stake.
The future
of our environment
Three Iowa based factory farm corporations generate
the waste (raw feces and urine) equivalent to 10 MILLION PEOPLE
– over 3 times the population of Iowa.
The prosperity
of our rural communities
A recent study showed that large hog factories tend to hinder
economic growth in rural communities.
The quality
of our air
Studies show that factory farms give off toxic gasses (primarily
hydrogen sulfide and ammonia) that cause
nausea, headaches, bronchitis and other serious respiratory problems.
The effectiveness
of our medicine
Scientists believe over-use of antibiotics in animals to promote
growth and control disease is decreasing
the effectiveness of antibiotics in humans and could pose
a serious health risk.
The purity
of our water
Researchers found that manure from some factory farm lagoons was
leaking at more than twice the
rate allowed by law.
The safety
of our food
Growing incidents of E coli and mad
cow disease (BSE) have been linked
to the industrialization of our food production system.
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