Factory farming is an often used term, but is actually a nonsense phrase. When you use it what do you envisage?
Define factory farming.
- Thread starter Paul Bradford
- Start date
Lou
Forum Legend
I think I know what you are getting at. When people debate they should immediately define their terms or at least agree on what their concepts mean. It's pretty easy for two people to be arguing about something when if they both understood the terminology they would discover that they are making a big deal about nothing.
However, on the other hand, its also a common mistake to make too much out of semantics. I don't think I can provide you with a really good definition of a concept like liberty or freedom. But I bet we both understand exactly what that is.
Anyway, to get back to your question, for me Factory Farming is a term to describe a certain type of livestock production.
I just looked it up. According to The Cambridge Dictionary its
a system of farming in which a lot of animals are kept in a small closed area, in order to produce a large amount of meat, eggs, or milk as cheaply as possible:
And you know what, I can't say it any better than the Cambridge Dictionary so lets just all agree to use that definition.
And if most people agree with that definition - well its NOT a nonsense phrase. Is it?
We all know what we mean when we say Factory Farming.
However, on the other hand, its also a common mistake to make too much out of semantics. I don't think I can provide you with a really good definition of a concept like liberty or freedom. But I bet we both understand exactly what that is.
Anyway, to get back to your question, for me Factory Farming is a term to describe a certain type of livestock production.
I just looked it up. According to The Cambridge Dictionary its
a system of farming in which a lot of animals are kept in a small closed area, in order to produce a large amount of meat, eggs, or milk as cheaply as possible:
And you know what, I can't say it any better than the Cambridge Dictionary so lets just all agree to use that definition.
And if most people agree with that definition - well its NOT a nonsense phrase. Is it?
We all know what we mean when we say Factory Farming.
Thanks Lou, it sounds like we are singing from the same song sheet with regards to the definition.
I"m pleased to say that most milk and beef produced in fhe UK isnt factory farmed based on that criteria.
Chickens (meat) probably are mainly factory farmed.
Eggs have moved away from factory type battery production towards free range, but free range hens do voluntarially return to a coop to roost at dusk, when full these might look crowded, but birds tend to flock together given freedom of choice.if a hen coop has only half its capacity, when you look in the coop will be half empty, the birds dont expand their personal space to make use of the space available.
Actually cattle are similar, they herd together. If a hundred cows are ranging over a hundred acres, at any one time you will find them all together on a 10 acre patch. They move around the area at will, but perhaps give the illusion of being crowded. You only need to look at wild life shows on tv to see that this occurs naturally with bovine type animals.
SapphireLightning
Forum Legend
Just for reference: In the US this is "free range". I do not know what the definition in the UK is, but I doubt it is much different in reality.
I would consider the image above to be a good optic of "factory farming". I had always seen the phrase to indicate that the animals in the facility are treated more as an assembly line and less like the stereotypical "Old MacDonald's" farm. Then again, as a vegan I see all of the animal ag business as horrible and in need of being stopped, so I digress.
I would consider the image above to be a good optic of "factory farming". I had always seen the phrase to indicate that the animals in the facility are treated more as an assembly line and less like the stereotypical "Old MacDonald's" farm. Then again, as a vegan I see all of the animal ag business as horrible and in need of being stopped, so I digress.
