Critics allege that animals in factory farms are oftenabusedand injected with growth hormones that enlarge them to unnatural sizes.
If you thought the humans who work at these factories were treated any better, think again.
Industrial farming also requires acres upon acres of space.
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Unsurprisingly, these giant corporations wield considerable influence over policymakers and the market.
Just how powerful is the meat lobby?
At least 59,000 workers caught the virus and 269 died, as a result.
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The concentration of power also gives Big Meat the ability to potentially manipulate the market.
For years, major meat suppliers have been dogged by allegations of illegal price fixing.
What earned Cargill such a distinct dishonor?
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The more appropriate answer may be what didn’t.
are just a few examples of Cargill’s dark side.
Regarding the actual quality of meat, Cargill has a similarly concerning track record.
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More recently, another 78 tons of contaminated Cargill beef caused an E. coli outbreakin 2018.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms
You might recognize the name Sanderson Farms.
This new two-headed behemoth ispartly owned by Cargill.
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Both Wayne and Sanderson were accused last summer ofconspiring to keep employee wages low for years.
The Virginia-based company frequently finds itself in the crosshairs of animal-rights campaigns.
Smithfield additionally has a concerning track record of truck accidents as well as toxic waste spills.
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JBS
Brazilian meat company JBS is considered the biggest meatpacker on the planet.
Generally, speaking, JBS slaughtersover 76,000 cowsand over 13 million chickens on a daily basis.
In 2017, JBS had to paya record-setting fineof $3.2 billion.
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What could have possibly warranted a fine like that?
JBS’s environmental impact is similarly troubling.
Amnesty Internationalreported in 2020that the company continues to work with farms illegally logging the Amazon.
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PerMighty Earth, JBS is responsible for 42,538 hectares of Brazilian deforestation.
That’s about half the size of New York City.
JBS also explicitlyallows the preventive use of antibiotics in their beef.
JBS also does not publicly display specific data on antibiotic use.
Like many other companies, JBS last year also faced allegations ofprice fixingandlobbying to keep workers in unsafe conditions.
To be fair, however, the company does promotesome beef productsas being raised without antibiotics.
According toConsumer Reports, National Beef uses antibiotics on their livestock to prevent disease and promote growth.
Allegations ofprice fixingandlobbying to keep workers in unsafe conditionsare also tied to National Beef.
National Beef Packing Company’s meat goods areused by restaurantslike the Cheesecake Factory and Johnny Rockets.
As you might probably surmise, all that meat means a whole lot of waste.
They had originally said they would reach two million acres by 2020.
This date has subsequently been pushed back to 2025.
Recent years have also seenTyson strongly resistcalls for more company-wide transparency regarding worker rights and abuses.
Tyson supplies chicken formajor fast-food chainsincluding KFC, Burger King, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell.
Koch once reportedlysupplied chicken to Chick-fil-A.
At that time, Koch Foods was being accused of animal rights violations by the group Mercy for Animals.
The company additionally has an unsettling track record of other workplace offenses, according toViolation Tracker.
These include everything from workplace safety and health violations to environmental issues and employee discrimination.
Needless to say, this new system of self-management didn’t bode well.
The book documents not only the mistreatment of animals but also the company’s gross negligence towards employees.
