Factory Farming

Lets get the facts straight!

What did you have for supper last night?

Why did you choose to eat what you did?

Where did the food come from?

Some possible reasons…

It was fast or easy

It was what I usually eat

It was nutritious

It tasted good

It was a good price

It was in season

My friends liked it

I did not have any choice in what I ate

The Meatrix launched in November 2003

Has been translated into more than 30 languages

Over 15 million viewers worldwide

The Factory Farm

A factory farm is a large-scale industrial operation that houses thousands of animals raised for food—such as chickens, turkeys, cows, and pigs—and treats them with hormones and antibiotics to prevent disease and maximize their growth and food output.

The premise for factory farming is that we need to produce food more efficiently to feed 7 billion people!

The Three Pillars of Sustainability

Social Pillar

New diseases

Pathogens

Dangerous hormones

Unethical treatment of animals

Confinement

Mutilation

diseases due to stress

Economic Pillar

Threats to family farms

Unfair competition

Regulations

farmers lose jobs and livelihoods

less people to look after the land,

Lower property values

“Cost” and convenience of meat

Environmental Pillar

Animal Waste

Air Emissions

Ecosystem Damage

Destruction of Land

Alter-ego PerspectiveFive Groups

1. Chicken

2. Chicken Farmers

3. President of the Poultry Company

4. Chicken Consumer

5. Chicken Farm Worker

Write one statement that you think your character would say in reference to factory farming.

Discussion Question

If we are in consensus that even food animals deserve to have a certain quality of life,

who has the responsibility to oversee the treatment of chickens or other food animals?

What responsibility do individuals and consumers

have? The government? Companies?

Discussion Question

In a way, we’re not producing chickens, we’re producing food

Richard Lobb, of the National Chicken Council, in Food Inc.

What does this statement mean? Do you agree or disagree?

How might this perspective affect the way that chickens are raised?

Old McDonalds Farm

Resources

11 facts about Factory Farms

Factory Farms/What’s good about it

Factory Farming…Winners and Losers

What are the pros and cons of Factory Farms

Primary Kids – Factory Farming

Factory Farming Index

Factory Farm Facts

Sustainable Table

Beyond Factory Farming

CEC Manitoba

Food Inc. Discussion Guide

The Meatrix