Factory farming refers to the industrialized method of raising animals to be eaten food. Factory farming is referred to by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control as "concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)."Centers for Disease Control: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
Factory farms keep the animals confined to small areas and many scientists have expressed concern that such farms could provide breeding grounds for new pathogens that could infect the human population. In late-April 2009, some reports suggested that the swine flu could have originated at the Smithfield factory farm in Mexico.USNews.com: Swine Flu and Factory Farming (April 28, 2009)
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Factory farms are often very crowded
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Factory farms create an abundance of waste that can pose a danger to nearby communitiesSustainable Table: The Issues: Factory Farming
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Runoff from the farms can spread antibiotic resistant bacteriaSustainable Table: The Issues: Factory Farming
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Some scientists believed that the Spanish Flu of 1918 'may' have originated from hogs kept in such such conditionsSustainable Table: The Issues: Factory Farming
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73% of all ammonia air pollution in the U.S. is caused by factory farmingSustainable Table: The Issues: Factory Farming
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"Hog confinement houses' have been found to have a high concentration of antibiotics in the dust in the airSustainable Table: The Issues: Factory Farming
