Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 33 views

    Intensive Farming: Minimising Energy Loss

    Uploaded by

    Hari Nambiar
    The document discusses intensive farming techniques used to maximize agricultural output while minimizing costs. Key methods mentioned include selectively breeding animals for high growth rates, restricting animal movement, using high-digestibility diets supplemented with growth hormones and antibiotics, and maintaining controlled environments. However, the document raises ethical concerns about animal welfare and questions the impacts of these practices on both farm animals and consumers.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Intensive Farming: Minimising Energy Loss

    Uploaded by

    Hari Nambiar
    33 views12 pages
    The document discusses intensive farming techniques used to maximize agricultural output while minimizing costs. Key methods mentioned include selectively breeding animals for high growth rates, restricting animal movement, using high-digestibility diets supplemented with growth hormones and antibiotics, and maintaining controlled environments. However, the document raises ethical concerns about animal welfare and questions the impacts of these practices on both farm animals and consumers.

    Original Title

    Intensive farming

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document discusses intensive farming techniques used to maximize agricultural output while minimizing costs. Key methods mentioned include selectively breeding animals for high growth rates, restricting animal movement, using high-digestibility diets supplemented with growth hormones and antibiotics, and maintaining controlled environments. However, the document raises ethical concerns about animal welfare and questions the impacts of these practices on both farm animals and consumers.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    33 views12 pages

    Intensive Farming: Minimising Energy Loss

    Uploaded by

    Hari Nambiar
    The document discusses intensive farming techniques used to maximize agricultural output while minimizing costs. Key methods mentioned include selectively breeding animals for high growth rates, restricting animal movement, using high-digestibility diets supplemented with growth hormones and antibiotics, and maintaining controlled environments. However, the document raises ethical concerns about animal welfare and questions the impacts of these practices on both farm animals and consumers.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 12

    Intensive farming

    Minimising energy loss


    Intensive farms are profitable
    • Maximise output by various methods

    Specially bred animals for high growth rates

    High digestibility diets that can include


    growth hormones and antibiotics if needed
    Methodology
    Wanted :
    Maximum output for minimum input
    High growth – low input

    Energy costs money- so waste as little as


    possible whether from the animal itself or
    the environment in which it is kept
    Poultry – battery hens
    • Restricted
    movement

    • High production
    diet

    • Controlled
    environment
    Pig battery
    • Restricted
    movement
    • High digestibility
    diet
    • Hormones for
    growth added
    • Controlled
    environment
    Pig farms - indoor
    • Many pigs occupy
    small space – pigs per
    square metre

    • Keep each other warm

    • Is it ethical??????
    • Animal welfare????
    Animal welfare
    • What’s more important to you – the
    consumer
    • Quality of your food?
    • Cost of your food?
    • How the animals you eat are treated?
    • Do you care?
    • IGNORANCE IS BLISS
    Welfare
    Ability to perform natural acts e.g.

    • Spreading wings and flapping – chicken


    • Scratching or grubbing in soil –
    pigs/chickens
    • Preening or rolling in dirt etc etc
    Selective breeding
    • Animals bred for food are bred for slaughter
    • More growth = more meat = more £
    ethics
    Problems :
    Chickens - growth so fast that leg bones break
    because they can’t support the weight of
    muscle put on
    Cow unable to give birth to calf that is too big
    so kill the cow (and sell carcass) save the
    calf – worth some money
    Management Problems
    • Enclosed animals – disease spreads quickly
    Use lots of antibiotics –don’t tell consumer

    Hormone enhanced meat – growth hormones


    can affect the consumer

    e.g. floppy man breasts


    IGNORANCE IS BLISS

    What you don’t know can’t hurt you

    TRUE

    Who or what does it affect??

    You might also like