Old MacDonald's Factory Farm: The Myth of the Traditional Farm and the Shocking Truth about Animal Suffering in Today's Agribusiness

There are no frolicking animals on today's farms, where mass-production techniques and modern business-efficiency programs turn out high volumes of standardized product at minimal cost per unit. But the product is living creatures, raised in an unnatural environment under appalling conditions. Coats, an animal-rights activist and vegetarian, catalogues a chamber of horrors, animal by animal. Here are pigs in crates, two-by-six feet, often chained to the floor; dairy cows that normally live for 20 years are ready for hamburger by the age of seven, having produced four to five calves and 25-30 tons of milk. It used to take three years for beef calves to reach salable weight; now they go from birth to slaughter in 11 months. Coats has equally gruesome stories about veal production (calves crated, kept in the dark, anemic) and chicken factories. He discusses genetic engineering, environmental effects, transportation of live animals and the ethics of factory farming. While his book makes a strong case for vegetarianism, Coats also advises consumers how to look for humanely raised meat products. This is not for readers with queasy stomachs. Illustrations. (July)