Practise Farming techniques. 11 exam-style questions plus unlimited generated ones on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
diseases spread easily when animals are kept close together
routine use of antibiotics (contributes to antibiotic resistance)
Question 2Medium6 marks
Chickens reared for meat can be kept indoors in heated sheds with limited space, or outdoors as free-range chickens.
(a) Explain why chickens kept in heated sheds with limited space gain mass faster than free-range chickens.[4]
(b) Give one disadvantage to the farmer of rearing chickens in heated sheds.[1]
(c) Suggest why free-range chicken meat costs more to buy.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)
limited space means the chickens move less
so less glucose is used in respiration for movement
warm surroundings mean less energy is transferred to the surroundings
so less glucose is used in respiration to keep warm
so more of the food eaten is used for growth / more biomass is converted into meat
(b)
the cost of heating / buildings
disease spreads quickly, so treatment is costly
some customers will not buy meat from intensively reared animals
(c)
free-range chickens take longer to reach selling mass / need more food / need more land per bird, so costs are higher
Question 3Hard7 marks
In intensive farming, large numbers of animals are kept indoors. Their movement is limited, the temperature of their surroundings is controlled, and they are fed high-protein food.
(a) Evaluate the use of intensive farming methods to produce meat. Include ethical issues in your answer.[6]
(b) Suggest one way farmers could improve the welfare of intensively farmed animals while still producing food efficiently.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)
limited movement and controlled temperature mean less energy is transferred from the animals to the environment
so more of the food biomass is converted into meat / animals grow faster
meat is cheaper and more can be produced from less land, helping food security
ethical objections: animals are kept in cramped conditions, cannot behave naturally, welfare may be poor
diseases spread quickly when animals are close together; routine use of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria
heating and buildings are expensive and use energy; large amounts of manure can cause pollution
high-protein feed (e.g. soya, fishmeal) could be eaten by humans / may be grown on land cleared from forest
a justified conclusion
Marked with levels of response: the full level descriptors are in the app.
(b)
give animals slightly more space / fewer animals per shed