What intensive farming means -- for the animals and for the environment. (BBC Countryfile)

Adam Henson travels to the USA to learn about what intensive dairy and pig farming means -- for the animals and for the environment. (BBC Countryfile. October 24, 2010 s23e08)

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• intensive
• dairy
• pig
• hog
• farming
• wisconsin
• bbc
• countryfile
• environment

[lupanubis]

@Alexstar1250 next time you feel hungry go and catch some prey you moron. Food chain has nil to do with exploiting animals in this brutal manner and everything to do with feeding in a sustainable way ie: only collecting whats needed. I say "collecting" as us humans are meant to eat fruit, seeds and vegetables. Nature has NOT provided us with such apparatus as to catch, chew, digest animal protein. You are defending your habit of eating cadavers with very poor arguments. Go figure.

[lupanubis]

@tmbthompson you sound so compassionate, what would YOU feel like being exploited senselessly all your life and maybe forced to live in such a confined space that you are not even able to stand or to turn around. Intensive farming is a SHAME and I hope one day it will end.

[emmiricu]

Malcolm is a jerk u should be treated like u treat those pigs!!!!!!!!!! poor pigs they deserve better

[tmbthompson]

In regards to gestation/farrowing crates in hog farming: these crates really are in the pigs best interests. If you observe pigs in the wild or in non-confined operations, they wear visible scars of fighting and mutilation. Pigs are omnivores, not herbivores like most livestock. They will chew on each other. The farrowing crates are used to protect the piglets whose number one cause of death is being crushed by their 1000 lb + mother.

[tmbthompson]

@rjrhampton: any dairy operation has "bobby" cows that are sold for veal. Male offspring really serve no purpose for dairies since most use artificial insemination methods/semen from proven bulls. The number of bull calves has been drastically reduced by using 'sexed' semen that can help guarantee heifer calves that will continue the milk production and genetic improvement of the farm. These animals are not produced at their own expense. Why would agriculturalists harm their own livelihood?

[meezerlover]

There is "factory farming" and there is factory farming. I love animals just as much as any one else does..BUT-realistically-, we all have to eat. I was NOT raised a vegeterian, nor at thispoint do I want to become one. If animals can be kept -humanely- then I see nothig wrong with this. Being at the Farm in Indiana just last Sunday I thought the operation there covered all the bases. And believe me, if I could have found one thing that looked off, I would have been the first one screaming out.

[sirNamkai]

THESE ARE BEINGS, NOT FUCKING OBJECTS!

[MrTommyw24]

no-one who has commented on this video has looked at the wider picture the sole purpose of those animals being alive is to produce food and has been for hundereds of years what they are doing in the u.s is the healthiest and kindest way of producing the food if intensive farming was not about we would have a world food shortage with millions of human deaths!!!!!

[Alexstar1250]

@DeepRedBlue dude really??? did u ever pay attention in science class when u were little??? humans are the top predator of the food chain thanx to our superior brain, animal population in the wild is controlled by predators and if you take one group of predators of the chart then that would completely fuk everything up, is as simple as this = imagine taking lions out of africa, do u realize how many zebras there would be? seriously dude are u dumb? please read a book and then hug ur trees after.

[DeepRedBlue]

@Alexstar1250 we wouldnt have over population of animals! Dont be ridiculous. Its humans that breed these farm animals, theyre not running wild and free and reproducing everywhere.