Factory farming is cruel

Kind Regards for this debate. I will take the Con side, meaning that I will debate that factory farming is not cruel. Opening Statement and (mainly) Rebuttals:Having studied agriculture and having worked in agriculture (beef cattle) I see myself as more than qualified to debate this topic. Pro states that "Who are you to decide which animal's life's hold more value than others" and questions "What difference is there between a cow and a domestic cat". These are simple to answer. Around the same time as cats were domesticated to be pets, another group of animals was more or less domesticated as well. Animals for resources. Whether it be pigs, cattle or sheep, they were all domesticated and more importantly bred to serve a specific purpose, similarly to cats and dogs, though those were bred in a style with the desire of them to be more adorable or (at least in the dogs case) to fulfil a working roll, while the other group was bred to produce more yield. Why? Simple, demand. In fact, had there been no demand for the animal produce, they would have not been domesticated. Would there be no demand nowadays, they would not be kept. In fact, the majority of those animals would not be alive, was it not for demand. So the simple answer to "who are you to decide" is 'who are we to decide'. The we is you, your family, your neighbours, friends, everyone around you. They have a demand for the product which thus gets delivered. Was there no demand in pork but in Tiger meat, Tigers would not be near extinction today and pigs very well may be. This is simple demand and supply. As for the difference, those animals are simply alive because of this demand. "Have you been there when a baby calf is taken away from it's mother". Yes. I've done this before. Would there be no demand for milk/beef this would not be done. "farmed fresh", to address this, this practice exists. The farms that I worked on all had free cattle, outside, on big paddocks. Would this be considered 'better' than other practices? And why? The end result is still the same.."factory farming is only producing half of the resources it takes in". This may be correct, however it produces way more than 'conventional' farming, and as there is a demand, this demand is met with 'factory farming' "factory farming is a waste of water, land, and crops. They are environmentally irresponsible". Incorrect. Actually, factory farms are more environmentally responsible (on a bigger level) than 'conventional' ones. Think about it this way. If you have to drive your tractor around all day (as I have done before) to feed your animals because they are spread all over the place, you will use more fuel, 'free' animals will eat more yet produce less, they are harder to look after and generally require way more area than 'factory farm' animals. Thus this is incorrect. "Factory farms are cruel and inhumane". How? You create the demand, this demand is simply met. The same could be applied to domestic cats. The domestication of cats is cruel and inhumane. Besides, farming in developed countries is bound by many ethical and legal guidelines, to ensure the correct treatment of animals. However, you still have to see that the sole reason these animals are even alive is due to demand, the way they are kept is due to demand, as well as the reason why they die. Solely demand and supply of a product. "I've seen for myself in many You tube videos" Great... Have you ever worked on a farm? Have you ever slaughtered an animal? If you would have, you would see that the reason for factory farms is the consumer and not the producer (farmer)"It's more than wrong to treat these animals like this". Please. Elaborate. You have not given a single example of how these animals are treated 'wrong'. "If slaughterhouses had glass walls everyone would be vegetarian". This assumption is ridicule. That would mean that all butchers are vegetarian. Are they? No. Also, the majority of slaughter is done extremely 'humane', the animal is literally dead before it hits the floor. If I had to kill an animal for any reason I would do it exactly in the way that the majority of animals are slaughtered. Besides, this has nothing to do with factory farming. Animals that are farmed 'free range' are slaughtered the same way. Last I would like to address the definition of 'Cruel', being defined as 'wilfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it'. This is not committed in any act of farming. The definition more or less would imply that farmers 'torture' the animals simply for the fun of it. While some actions may seem like this, the same could be applied for humans. A doctor who vaccinates a child could be seen as 'cruel' in the same sense as a farmer vaccinating their animals, however the question is 'why are they doing it'. The act of vaccination is a benefit towards the living being, or is it not? Also, with the 'problem' of producing a good depending on a living organism, any act of 'cruelty' is committed to achieve a benefit, whether that benefit is towards the animal or in a greater sense the consumer, another living being that does not want to be objected to the loss of demanded produce wilfully. Conclusion:In conclusion 'factory farming' would have to be seen as not cruel. The practise solely exists due to the demand of a group that does not want to go without, while the word 'cruel' is extremely shallow and could be used to describe almost everything: Teachers are cruel, parents are cruel, the schooling system is cruel, bus drivers are cruel, cats are cruel and so on.While this may not be the most valid of reasoning, lets go back to pros first comparison, a cow and a cat. What would cats or dogs eat if there was no, as according to pro, 'cruel' farming? Domestic pets are effectively not able to sustain themselves, they were bred out of this ability, thus need to be fed meat, which was obtained through slaughter. The results and causes for the way things are going with farming are (almost) everyone's' fault. If you want a change, everyone needs to want it. Otherwise it won't work. Kind Regards, I am looking forward to the next round.