farm animal welfare
Since the end of the Second World War the methods of raising animals for food have changed dramatically. Small, family owned farms have been replaced by larger, more intensive operations that confine more animals in smaller spaces. These farms are highly-mechanized, often corporately owned and designed for one purpose: to produce meat and other animal products as cheaply as possible.
While these “factory farms” have succeeded in providing low cost meat, eggs and dairy products, a terrible price has been paid by farm animals. They suffer in cramped, unhygienic conditions, sometimes barely able to move. They are transported long distances, often unprotected from severe cold or heat. They are slaughtered in systems that do not ensure a humane death.
Factory farming methods have spread from developed countries around the world to China, India, Latin America and Eastern Europe and beyond. Billions of animals are now raised in intensive systems that compromise their welfare.
All these animals are sentient beings, capable of feeling pain, fear and stress as well as pleasure and contentment. But in modern farming they have become mere products, with minimal regard for their well-being.
In addition to causing animal suffering, factory farming damages the environment and threatens public health. The production and promotion of cheap, intensively raised meat has led to overconsumption, which is now linked to obesity, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and other health problems. See our Eat Less Meat section.
