Bad for People, Bad for Animals:

When “Makin Bacon Farm LLC” announced plans to construct an 8,400 pig farm in Richland County, Illinois, residents sprang into action, petitioning for a public information meeting on the proposed farm. According to a report by Amanda Blain in the Olney Daily Mail, residents are worried about the effects on their community, from environmental degradation to plummeting property values.

They are right to be alarmed. Factory farms have proven time and again to adversely affect the quality of life in rural communities. The Union of Concerned Scientists states, “Confined animal feeding operations damage our air, water, and the rural communities they inhabit.”

Factory farms produce millions of pounds of manure and other biological waste products that are funneled into massive lakes or injected under the soil, resulting in runoff that leaches into nearby groundwater and contaminates drinking water.

Animals housed in factory farms suffer countless cruelties, from extreme confinement leaving them unable to stand up or move around, to physical abuses such beating, dragging, and medical procedures without anesthesia or pain medication. Disease rates skyrocket under the constant stress, leading to injudicious use of antibiotics just to keep them alive.

Air quality is affected for miles around, due to high levels of particulate matter, toxic gases, and noxious odors. Rural communities surrounding factory farms suffer from high rates of respiratory diseases, headaches, gastrointestinal ailments, and depression. Children raised near factory farms are at greater risk of asthma and diarrhea.

Because of the constant smell, which one homeowner describes as “overwhelming,” families are unable to spend any time outdoors. Property values decline, with no hope of compensation from large agricultural companies with few ties to the local community.

Sadly, representatives of the proposed factory farm refused to address concerns about property values and air pollution at a June 2016 meeting with residents. Unfortunately, this may be yet another example of large agricultural companies exploiting rural communities for their own profits.

In addition to being inhumane, factory farms harm communities and the environment. Support sustainable food production by transitioning to a plant-based diet. Find out how in our new Veg Guide today!