Shocking facts about factory farming and why we need change
Blog
Many people hear "factory farming" and think of large barns, crowded animals, and mass production. But the reality is far darker than most imagine.
To build a food system that’s kinder to animals, better for farmers, and safer for the planet, we need to face some harsh truths and push for a Just Transition away from this destructive model.
Below are some facts that may surprise you:
1. Billions of animals live their whole lives in misery
A single industrial farm might confine thousands of pigs, chickens or cows to cages or crowded barns, leaving them unable to turn, stretch, or engage in natural behaviours. Many animals endure mutilations, like beak trimming in chickens or tail docking in pigs - without effective pain relief.
2. Factory farming is a climate disaster in disguise
Meat and dairy from industrial farms generate more greenhouse gas emissions than nearly all of the world’s transport systems combined.
Huge quantities of land are cleared, soil degraded, and rivers polluted from feed crops and animal waste. These systems intensify climate breakdown - not help it.
3. Public health is at risk
Crowded, stressful, and unhygienic conditions are breeding grounds for disease. Factory farms increase the risk of zoonotic diseases jumping from animals to humans. Overuse of antibiotics to prevent illness in unhealthy animals contributes to antibiotic resistance - a serious threat to human health.
4. Animals live in darkness, not daylight
Many animals never see natural light. Chickens raised for meat often spend their entire lives indoors under artificial lighting. They’re deprived of fresh air, foraging, social interactions, and the chance to roam - conditions that cause psychological suffering as well as physical harm.
5. Farmers and rural communities suffer too
Despite high production, many factory farms run on tight margins, leaving farmers exposed to debt, volatile feed prices, and market shocks. The industrial model centralises control in the hands of a few large corporations.
Rural communities suffer when local farms are forced out, biodiversity is lost, landscapes degrade, and water sources are polluted.
Why Just Transition is essential
These facts are not isolated issues - they’re interconnected consequences of a failed food system. That’s why we’re calling for a Just Transition: a shift away from cruelty, towards farming systems that respect animals, support farmers, and rebuild nature.
A Just Transition framework means:
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Ending factory farming and replacing it with farming systems that give animals space, fresh air, and dignity
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Supporting farmers to change practices - financially, technically, and culturally
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Rewarding systems that protect ecosystems, store carbon, and enhance biodiversity
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Ensuring that no community is left behind in the shift
When farms are reimagined this way, animals live free of suffering, the land recovers, and farmers can build more resilient futures.
Factory farming is the biggest cause of animal cruelty in the world. 80 billion animals are farmed, transported and slaughtered in a broken industrial global food system driven by convenience and price. It is also harming our health and the planet.
A just transition is urgently needed to move towards humane, sustainable food systems that protect animals, people, and the environment.
Find out more about a Just Transition in UK Farming
Our latest research shows that raising animals in natural environments like woodlands can produce high-welfare food at competitive prices while tackling climate change.
Find out moreWhat you can do
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Sign our petition calling for the end of factory farming and support for Just Transition
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Share these facts as many people don’t realise the scale of suffering behind everyday meat
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Choose better where possible and support higher-welfare, nature-friendly farms
It’s time to build a food system that works for animals, people, and the planet - not against them.
Call for an end to cruel factory farming
Sign our petition to the UK government and let them know that there is no future for factory farming.