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Humans have been eating animals since the beginning of time. What's happened in the past 50 years is that the machine of capitalism has devised a method by which these animals are "processed" for human consumption. Goodbye idyllic farm, hello factory chopping block. And not only does the process often seem inhumane, but these factory farms - or CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) - are major polluting machines.

Now there's a handy-dandy map, created by the folks at Food and Water Watch, that details where these massive polluting complexes are located (top of the list of pig factory farms? Iowa - with 3,876 factory farms).

Here's the skinny:

Factory farms, where tens of thousands of animals are raised for food in crowded facilities, have become widespread throughout the United States and are now spreading abroad. Factory farms cause problems for animal welfare, the environment, and public health. The giant quantities of manure they produce can lead to tainted water and severe air pollution. The stench alone can ruin rural communities, as residents rush to shut their windows and bring their children indoors when the wind shifts. These communities have been fighting lonely, uphill battles against companies who want to take advantage of lax zoning and environmental laws. Consumers, meanwhile, can end up with meat loaded with antibiotic-resistant bacteria from thousands of miles away.

And here's one example of how lax regulation and resident input can lead to an environmental disaster:

When a manure "lagoon" burst in 1995 at a North Carolina hog facility, it spilled 25 million gallons of manure into the New River - more than twice the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez. This spill alone killed 10 million fish and contaminated more than 350,000 acres of coastal shellfish habitat. This led North Carolina to impose a statewide moratorium on new factory farms in 1997. Nationwide, factory farms foul public water sources, create "dead zones" in water bodies, and harm wildlife. There are few, if any, consequences for most factory farms when they violate EPA regulations. In fact, more than a third of the largest factory farms don't even have a government permit.

Read more and educate yourself about where you ham sandwich comes from...

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