Factory farming explained
The systems hub: confinement, stocking density, mutilations without anaesthetic, transport, slaughter line speeds, and the economics that keep the model in place.
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This hub is being filled in this edition. Browse the desks above in the meantime.
Questions this hub answers
- What is factory farming?
- Factory farming is the intensive confinement of animals at high density to minimise cost per unit of meat, milk or eggs — typically indoors, on slatted or barren flooring, with routine procedures such as beak trimming or tail docking and slaughter at a fraction of natural lifespan.
- How many farmed animals are killed each year?
- Around 80 billion land animals are slaughtered annually worldwide, plus an estimated 1–2 trillion aquatic animals — the overwhelming majority raised in intensive systems.
- Do welfare labels mean animals were treated well?
- Rarely as consumers assume. Most on-pack claims are unaudited marketing terms; only a handful of certification schemes set enforceable space, enrichment and slaughter requirements.