Abstract

Within the next hour, more than six million sentient animals throughout the world will be slaughtered for meat. They represent a small fraction of the approximately sixty-five billion land animals killed annually. In contrast to the widely perceived settings of rolling pastures and sanguine meadows through which animals can roam freely, a vast number of these animals live out virtually all of their lives within the intensive confines of industrial systems popularly labeled “factory farms.” Considered mere units of production, they are crammed into unimaginably small living spaces, mutilated, genetically manipulated, drugged, and slaughtered long before the end of their natural life span. Many never receive the basic freedoms of enjoying sunlight, walking on land, or engaging in even the most basic natural behaviors before being sent to slaughter and detachedly transformed into “pork” and “beef,” bearing little if any resemblance to the once-living animal. The few employees tasked with caring for them also face significant health and safety risks, including serious injury and death. Indeed, the harmful impacts of factory farming are wide-reaching, extending to communities and individual consumers. As society gains awareness of the realities and implications associated with factory farms, opportunities for positive change are ripe. This chapter provides an overview of the conditions faced by animals and people in factory farms, examples of progress to date to improve the welfare of farmed animals, and successful consumer-backed initiatives at various levels to combat the harmful impacts of factory farms.