Injustices to Human and Non-human Animals

Injustices to Human and Non-human Animals

Livestock production is taking another turn for the worse. Today, meat production industry is increasingly focusing on business profitability. The rising internal competition for a market share has resulted in an alarming neglect of animal and consumers rights. While human and animal rights activists have repeatedly expressed concerns over the developments and the future of the industry, little has been done to arrest the situation. Animal cruelty laws in the United States and Canada is a clear testament of the concerned authorities’ negligence. Notably, the European Union is setting a remarkable precedence on what should be implemented to protect the animals, consumers and producers from the spiking injustices. A clique of corporation owners forgets that animals are living beings and deserve proper treatment and respect for life.

Injustices to Animals

 Industrialization and modernization of business industry have resulted in the commoditization of humans and animals. From a business standpoint, commoditization results in soaring food product sales revenue. However, from the human and animal rights perspective, it is a gross violation of the entitlements. Over the past few years, a few individuals have specialized in livestock farming and food production.  They exploit their business edge by oppressing the industrial animals. Leaving the industry in the care of a few hands imply that the majority of consumers of animal products are not aware of the oppression accorded to the animals.

In Canada and the United States, farmers rear animals in confined factory areas and not farms. They are subjected to a highly concentrated area to maximize output and minimize the factory operational cost. Besides, the rate at which animals are killed is staggering. Factory owners refer animals as units instead of their original names as living creatures.

            In the past, when animal production was in the hands of subsistence farmers, the livestock production was a dignified act that ensured constant care for animals. All these have changed in the modern times; industrial animal production is now a completely market driven process. A significant part of decision making has been delegated to the technologically advanced machines to improve on production efficiency. 

            Furthermore, corporation owners feed animals with livestock mils via vertical integration to encourage an abnormal growth rate hence income. Hormones are also used to serve this purpose. In this case, hormones subject the livestock to chronic pains that can result in animal structural collapse. Enclosing animals in a closed space means that access to basic necessities such as the sunshine and fresh air is almost impossible. Normal animal behavior is restricted within the confinements hence a heightened risk of contracting diseases. Most factory owners use antibiotics to prevent cases of animal illness.

            Injustice is also committed to unwanted livestock infants. For example, male chicks in egg factories are often disposed without concern of their lives. In fact, the young chicks are neglected to die from asphyxiation or dehydration. For the adult female egg-laying chicken, recommend searing of their beak to prevent fights with each other.  What is astonishing is that the entire beak searing process is conducted without painkillers. As such the chickens are subjected to traumatizing pain. In addition, the victims find it harder to peck for food. The birds are caged in tiny space to maximize space. This imprisonment can happen for the entire lifetime of a bird, making it hard for them to spread their wings. As if not enough, factory owners starve egg layers to hasten the process and increase daily yield. Lastly, fowls are slaughtered at a faster rate that most are conscious during removal of feathers. It is an injustice to the life itself.

 The pains that cattle have to endure during castration, horn removal, and branding can get to unbearable levels.  No one cares to inject anesthesia to ease the pain. Notably, beef animals are more adapted to food graze lands but factories feed soy and corn leading to indigestion with methane as a byproduct. Not only does it affect the animals bust also the environment. Calves born within the factory premises have no freedom for their entire lifetime. Moreover, transport of overcrowded animals from one place to the other results in multiples of deaths. In Canada alone, 650, 000 farm animals die quarterly in transit.    

Injustice to Producers

Factory owners hire producers to kill the animals and process them on a daily basis. The string of injustices does not end at the animals; the producers are also victims of owners’ disregard of employee rights. Most livestock factories post obscene profits due to their exploitative activities, but the employees have nothing to gain. Reports indicate that slaughterhouse workers earn dismal wages. Besides, there are health concerns regarding their working conditions because their bosses invest peasants to ensure safety. Even though worker unions and authorities have voiced their concerns, corporate owners have remained dump to such calls. It is ironic and a pity that the cruelty the producers display to animals in slaughterhouses is returned in the same proportion, only this time by a different party.

 Further, traditional farmers have received a major blow as a result of the industrialization of livestock production. This is happening in both developed and non-developed world. In industrialized states, exotic livestock farmers are forced to quit due to tight competition and dwindling market demand. On the other hand, the small-scale traditional farmers in the developing world have no other option than to comply with the corporations' orders that involve mono-cropping. This can happen besides their wishes if they desperately need to remain in the business. Otherwise, many abandon the practice because of piling pressure from external forces.

Injustices to Consumers

            Many consumers of industrial livestock products are unaware of the little concern that the major players in the industry accord to them. In fact, they are viewed as part of the business equation. Thus, it is possible that consumer  health concerns can be compromised for the sake of business sustainability through profit making. For instance, the livestock industry does not factor into consideration the fat and bacteria content in the meat products. This would eventually cost a fortune to the firm hence a potential neutralization of the overall income. Because of the competition with other firms in the sector, each industrial player needs to keep product prices low, thus a need to bypass the product safety procedures. In the end, the consumer is the victim.

            While the law steers clear on product awareness creation, most livestock product firms evade taking responsibility to disseminate information about the safety levels of their products. Caught unawares, most consumers flock supermarkets to buy favorite livestock products. They have no idea of the health risks they are exposing themselves. Indirect health risks also result from environmental pollution due to industrial malpractices. In the end, cases of cancerous diseases and other life-threatening health conditions skyrocket.