SWA #9: Analysis of "Why Factory Farms Threaten Your Health" by John Robbins

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/meat-antibiotics_b_656414.html

            I read “Why Factory Farms Threaten Your Health” by John Robbins from the Huffington Post. Robbins central claim is that the mass use of antibiotics by members of the livestock agricultural industry is very unnecessary. Robbins states that animals would not need such a large quantity of antibiotics if they were treated fairly by the farms themselves. Robbins states that animals that are able to roam in pastures need a significantly smaller amount of antibiotics when compared to animals that are enclosed in small spaces. Robbins also addresses a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 1549. This bill would limit the number of antibiotics that the livestock industry can give to their animals in order to keep those antibiotics from affecting the humans that eat the meat of that animal. It is assumed that Robbins values the fair treatment of animals. One can assume this by the manner in which he describes the effects that the antibiotics have on animals earlier in the article. He is also a proponent for free-range farming as he states that free-range animals are much healthier than factory farmed animals, even without the use of numerous antibiotics. It can also be assumed that Robbins leans more towards the Democrats on the political spectrum. One can assume this when he speaks about how it is mostly Republicans who are fighting the bill, after he clearly shows support for the bill.