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In an increasingly urban society, our contact with animals, especially farm animals, is limited. While man and animal depend on each other, our modern culture separates people from animals more and more. As a result, our understanding of the needs and roles of domesticated animals becomes weaker, and in some cases, distorted.
One of the best strongholds of animal welfare in our culture is America's farmers and ranchers. With the exception of zoos and animal parks, only farmers and ranchers enjoy close, daily contact with animals. As these individuals tend livestock and poultry, guaranteeing their health and welfare, the animal provides an economic return to the farmer by supplying wholesome, high quality foods that people want.
Many of today's consumers don't know about farmers' and ranchers' relationship with their animals, or how modern farmers produce meat, milk, and eggs. The image of the family farm with its red barn, a few chickens in the yard, some pigs in the mud, and cows in the field isn't accurate anymore. Today, U.S. animal agriculture is a dynamic, specialized endeavor - the envy of the rest of the world. Modern American agriculture allows 2% of the people to feed 100% of the population. Well cared for, healthy livestock and poultry is the key to this efficiency, resulting in the highest quality and most affordable food in the history of the world.
Modern farm animal production is no accident. Improved animal housing, handling practices, and healthy, nutritious feeds are the result of billions of dollars of private and government research into how to raise healthy animals. As American animal agriculture grows and changes, two truths remain constant: Farmers' and ranchers' concern for their animals' welfare, and their dedication to providing the highest quality, safest food in the world.
Some of the commonly heard myths about modern animal agriculture are listed below. Then general facts on how and why farmers and ranchers really operate follow.
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MYTH |
Farm animals are routinely raised on "factory farms," confined in "crowded, unventilated cages and sheds." |
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FACT |
Animals are generally kept in barns and similar housing, with the exception of beef cattle, to protect the health and welfare of the animal. Housing protects animals from predators, disease, and bad weather or extreme climate. Housing also makes breeding and birth less stressful, protects young animals, and makes it easier for farmers to care for both healthy and sick animals.
Modern housing is well-ventilated, warm, well-lit, clean, and scientifically-designed to meet an animal's specific needs - including temperature, light, water and food. Because it is designed to meet specific needs, a hog barn wouldn't be used for cows, any more than an adult would sleep in a child's crib. Housing is designed to allow the farmer to provide the best animal care possible. |
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MYTH |
A vegetarian diet is healthier than a diet that includes meat, poultry, milk, and eggs. |
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FACT |
Both the federal government and the American Heart Association say that a diet containing meat, milk and eggs is appropriate to both groups' dietary guidelines. Health benefits can be derived by non-vegetarians who follow a prudent diet that is low in fat, sodium, sugar and alcohol. Poorly-planned vegetarian diets can be just as unhealthy as poorly-planned non-vegetarian diets. The key to a healthy diet is moderation.
One tip from Amy Barr, a registered dietitian in Boulder, Colorado, is "don't eliminate whole food groups." Don't, for example, drop dairy from your diet.
"A lot of people, especially women give up milk because they think it's fattening," says Anne Fletcher, a registered dietitian and author of Thin for Life. But milk is one of the best sources of calcium in the diet, which is important for preventing osteoporosis and possibly for warding off colon cancer. |
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MYTH |
Farm animals in "confinement" are prone to disease, forcing farmers to routinely use antibiotics, hormones and drugs and to keep them alive. This jeopardizes animal and human health. |
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FACT |
Animal scientists, veterinarians and on-farm experience show animals kept in housing are generally healthier because they are protected. Farm animals do sometimes get sick. To prevent illness and to ensure that an animal remains healthy all of its life, farmers will take preventive measures, like using animal health products. These products are generally included in a scientifically-formulated feed that matches the animal's needs. This is the simplest way to ensure each animal gets the care it needs.
Animal health products include animal drugs and vaccines, in addition to vitamins, minerals and other nutrients the animal needs in its diet. All animal health products are approved and regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). |
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MYTH |
By eating less meat, Americans would improve the environment and free land and resources for the production of food crops rather than animal products, which could be used to feed the hungry overseas. |
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FACT |
Americans need to both animals and plants to manage the nation's natural resources in the best way possible and feed its people. For example, about half the land area of the U.S. can't be used for growing crops - it can only be used for grazing. That land would be of no use as a food resource if it were not for grazing livestock like cattle, goats and sheep. The U.S. has more than enough cropland to grow both feed grains and food crops. |
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MYTH |
Farming in the U.S. is controlled by large corporations, which care about profits and not about animal welfare. |
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FACT |
There are 2.1 million farms in the U.S., and according to a May 2006 report on the structure and finances of U.S. Farms, exactly the same numbers counted by the 1997 Census of Agriculture. The 2006 report found that the vast majority of America's farms (98%) are family-farms.
The study also discovered that 61% of all farms did not participate in any farm program in 2003. This finding clearly indicates that only a minority of farmers receive agricultural subsidies. For more information on the report, click here. |
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