Annotated Bibliography: Farm Animal Welfare

ASPCA. “Legal Protections for Farm Animals”. Fight Cruelty. 2015. Web. 25 June 2015.

ASPCA is an American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The society is a national welfare organization with the first of this kind being established in North America; it is one of the largest in the world. This site not only provides information regarding animal protection and cruelty but also encourages people to take part in preventive actions to protect animals in the USA.

I found the article very useful for my essay writing because it provides valuable information about statistics of animal slaughter and laws protecting animals. In my opinion, this article provides overwhelming evidence of the massive animal slaughter in the USA, making people take thought of this terrible situation and how it can be changed.

Barton, Mary D. “Impact of Antibiotic Use in the Swine Industry.” Current Opinion in Microbiology19(2014): 9-15.

Current Opinion is a collection of researches in various areas of life sciences and adjusted fields, i.e., immunology, pharmacology, neurobiology, structural biology, virology, etc. Current Opinion in Microbiology is a systematic journal review in a respected field aiming to provide scholars with up-to-date information with regard to the increasing volume of published researches in the field of microbiology. The journal was very timely and informative for my research purposes.

Mary Barton publishes striking research evidence of how antibiotic use in swine industry impacts negatively human health, compromising treatment of infective diseases. Another issue described in the article that needs consideration is contamination of the environment from the piggery wastewater, and manure spreading on pastures.

Berg, Raffi. “Should Animals Be Stunned before Slaughter.” BBC News. 30 Nov. 2011. Web. 25 June 2015.

BBC News is a highly trusted news agency that publishes accurate and up-to-date information. Articles published by BBC News cover various topics in politics, economics, technology, business, science, automotive industry, etc. The agency has a longstanding successful history of providing independent and bias-free news for the British audience, first, and then going global.

In his article, Berg raises an ethical question if the way most of the animals are treated before they are killed to be consumed is acceptable from the human perspective. The author pursues the reader to consider adopting a more ethical way of the animal slaughter through stunning them before killing, like Jewish and Muslims, who show more respect for animal food, do.

Frohlich, Thomas C. “States Killing the Most Animals for Food.” USA Today. 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 June 2015.

USA Today is a multi-platform news and information media company publishing engaging and high-quality content that covers such areas as a sport, life, politics, economics, science, travel, weather, etc. It was first launched in the USA in 1984, and now, it has printed editions in Europe, Asia/Pacific, and Canada. The media company publishes reliable, timely and accurate information that is valuable to read or use for further researches.

The author of the article describes statistical data of meat consumption in different US states in a readable and easy-to-understand manner. Frohlich provides two sides of the animal killing for consumption. One is that it is good for economic growth and increasing employment for people working in the industry. Another side describes the daunting image of animal treatment in the country.

Pacelle, Wayne. “Breaking News: Key Lawmakers Propose Federal Anti-Cruelty Measure.” Huffington Post. 14 May 2015. Web. 25 June 2015.

Huffington Post is an information media and news platform covering various topics connected with the environment, politics, business, science, healthy living, society, etc. With a home office located in the USA, it is edited in Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The media agency is regarded as a trusted source of reliable and unique information.

Wayne Pacelle, a president and CEO of the Human Society of the United States, published an article dedicated to the issue of animal cruelty. He gives a historical background of the animal abuse tracking, recognizing its severity and urgency for a solution. He speaks in favor of the animals and suggests that they should be treated more fairly and that the law should pursue animal abusers more decisively. I found this article very informative with essential evidence that can be used for the research.

The Humane Society of the United States. Farm Animal Statistics: Slaughter Totals. 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 June 2015.

The Humane Society of the United States is the largest not-for-profit organization in the United States aimed at animal protection that helps more than 100 000 animals a year. Members of the Human Society promote cultural change in American society, fighting animal cruelty and slaughter. The company’s website gives valuable information about their work and condition of the animals, as well as statistical data useful for research purposes for students and scholars.

USDA. “Brief Summaries of Federal Animal Protection Statutes.” 2009. Web. 25 June 2015.

This website provides extensive information on laws and regulations on animal protection that have been enacted during the whole period of the animal protection history, and articles covering animal cruelty around the world. The information from this online source is trusted, timely and valuable. It is especially helpful for my essay in terms of discovering legal support of animal protection.

WSPA. “Zoonotic Diseases, Human Health, and Farm Animal Welfare.” Compassion in World Farming. 2013. Web. 25 June 2015.

Compassion in World Farming is the leading farm animal welfare charity driving more ethical food supply by collaboration with biggest retail and manufacturing goods companies, by government lobbying to improve animal well-being and recognize them as creatures with feelings and thoughts, an undercover investigation of animal abuse.

The article is a briefing of previous findings by experts, jointly published by World Society for the Protection of Animals and Compassion in World Farming. It raises an issue of the quality of food that humans consume and their effect on human life that threatens the whole of humanity. The authors of the article argue that farming methods of breeding animals for consumption have become aggressive to increase production, overlooking their impact on human health. They provide undeniable facts of increasing risks of particular diseases that can be fatal. The article contains very valuable information and data that is worth thinking about. I found it particularly useful for my essay as it gives essential recommendations for problem-solving for meat consumers and meat producers.