A Myriad of Meat

 Cows are fed ammonia, sawdust, newspaper scraps, sewage, and plants covered in insecticides.  This fattens the cows at a cheaper price.  Cattle are also fed antibiotics to prevent disease within the farms.  Some of the antibiotics have led to the growth of “super-bugs” .  These strains of bacteria are sold in supermarkets and eaten by consumers. Pigs are especially susceptible to both avian and human strains of the flu.  This allows the virus to swap genes and create  new strains.  Contained animal feeding operations use twenty-five million pounds of antibiotics every year.  The United States Department of Agriculture only tests one of every twenty-five thousand animals slaughtered for chemical residue and disease.