article_snippet.sent: Meanwhile, factory farms continued to reap large profits while producing subpar meat, polluting air and water resources, and damaging the public's health.
article_snippet.sent: In 2014 alone, the biggest meatpackers and their trade groups spent a combined $4.3 million on lobbyists.
article_snippet.sent: And it has paid off for the biggest meatpackers and their trade groups: Factory farms often avoid penalties for the damage Factory farms cause to the environment and public health; and Factory farms receive ridiculous subsidies from the U.S. government that totaled $58.7 million in 2012, according to the Environmental Working Group.
article_snippet.sent: These factors drive down the cost of industrially sourced meat at a rate that smaller farms can't keep up with.
article_snippet.sent: And since the actual costs of industrially raised meat are hidden, humanely raised meat appears expensive by comparison.
highlights_snippet.sent: But factory farms continued to reap large profits while producing subpar meat, polluting nature and damaging our health .
  