It is commonly thought that if you are vegan or vegetarian, you do not value human life or you value animals above humans. This may be true for some, but not for me. I am vegetarian because I value human life.

Animals aren’t the only ones who suffer horrendous conditions inside factory farms and slaughterhouses, the now majority meat producers. The crowded, filthy conditions are extremely dangerous to the workers [mostly disenfranchised immigrants] who suffer from a range of diseases and physical injuries on a regular basis. These include being mauled by animals, suffocating from toxic gas fumes, and breathing in irritating dust and fecal matter. Many are treated so badly and are so disgusted by the conditions and what they are expected to do, that they leave within a week or two – which means the few that stay are severely overworked.

According to Human Rights Watch, meat production is “The most dangerous job in America”.

“….they work in close contact with fecal matter and animalborne diseases. One study …found that in a sample of chicken catchers, more than 40 percent tested positive for campylobacter bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever….. Workers are also often injured when they are kicked or rammed by cows or pigs, and they may be regularly exposed to dangerous chemicals used on the farm….”

“Constantly inhaling dust from confined animals contributes to respiratory ailments in many factory farm workers: A 2002 study …found that up to 70 percent of U.S. factory farm workers suffer from acute bronchitis, and 25 percent battle chronic bronchitis….”

“Among the most serious hazards endured by factory farm workers is the constant exposure to gases and dust emitted from sources of concentrated manure. These fumes contain a host of hazardous substances such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”

“Working conditions at meat processing facilities (slaughterhouses) are even more hazardous. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, meatpacking is the most dangerous job in the U.S.; the rate of injury and illness among slaughterhouse workers is approximately three times higher than in the average U.S. factory.”

“The pressure to sustain dangerously high rates of production combined with the strain of repetitive cutting results in the common occurrence of lacerations, tendonitis, back problems, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other cumulative trauma disorders…slaughterhouse employees have very little power to address hazardous, unjust working conditions; the high rate of labor turnover and the industry’s aggressive recruitment of disempowered immigrant laborers have discouraged workers from filing formal complaints and have prevented the development of effective labor unions.”

And the health effects don’t stay inside the farm. The community around the farm suffers as well – immediately around the farm the community becomes polluted, affecting the health of the community and driving down property prices as well. On a larger scale, medication-resistant bacteria thrive in crowded and dirty conditions where animals are plied with antibiotics,  and make their way across the country. MRSA [a form of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus bacteria] now kills more people in the USA than AIDS, and factory farms are seething resevoirs for it.

“In addition to enduring the overwhelming odors released by factory farms, residents of these communities often suffer from the effects of groundwater contaminated by nitrates, pathogens, and other pollutants in animal manure. After conducting a study of drinking water wells in 9 Midwestern states, the CDC determined that 13% of all well water contained nitrate levels above the maximum contaminant standard of 10 mg/l.3″

“administration of antibiotics to animals on factory farms promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which reduces the effectiveness of medicine used for humans. According to Keep Antibiotics Working, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections cause U.S. health care costs to increase by $4 billion each year.”

Being massively inefficient, factory farms also rely on government subsidies to sustain themselves. In less than a decade, $114 BILLION tax dollars were spent on the largest factory farms in America. Add this to the cost of the pollution and health effects they cause, and you’re looking at a staggeringly high price for a burger.

Even if you don’t support animal welfare, the fact remains that industrial scale factory farming also causes massive human suffering, and we must stop artificially sustaining it.
Sources:

http://beyondfactoryfarming.org/get-informed/economics

http://www.factoryfarm.org/

http://www.goveg.com/workerRights_farms.asp

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/economics/