Industrial Animal Agriculture &
Farmed Animals’ Welfare

Typical Intensive Farming Systems

Traditionally, in many societies, people raised their own animals for consumption, or animals were raised on small-scale farms where they were often allowed to roam freely. In contrast, the rearing of farmed animals in today’s world is dominated by intensive farming operations, in which as many animals as possible are raised in the smallest space possible for as little cost as possible.

Modern farms which utilise intensive methods of rearing animals are usually referred to as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) by the animal agriculture industry and governments. The alternative term “factory farms” is commonly used by animal advocates. On CAFOs the animals are raised in confined conditions, and feed is delivered to the animals rather than the animals grazing or seeking food in pastures and fields.

A typical intensive farming operation for egg production.
Credit: Existence / We Animals Media.

In a typical CAFO, tens, hundreds or even thousands of animals are held inside a barn, shed or other building for their whole lives, often never stepping outside. Due to the sheer number of animals, it is often difficult to deliver the correct amount of care and attention that each individual animal needs, particularly when there are not enough workers to properly care for such a large number of animals. To keep operational costs as low as possible, on modern hi-tech farms machines are employed wherever possible to keep the animals alive (e.g. delivering food), limiting the number of human workers who may notice when something is wrong.

Rows of sows confined in gestation crates on a typical intensive pig farm.
Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media.

Antibiotics are routinely administered to the animals either through food or other means, in an effort to limit the outbreak and spread of certain diseases, which are more likely to occur in these crowded, often unsanitary, facilities.

As a result of aggressive artificial breeding, modern farmed animals produce much higher yields of meat, milk and eggs than their predecessors.

It is generally agreed that good animal welfare depends on three factors: physical well-being, mental well-being and natural living. It is clear that CAFOs, by their very nature, fail to meet these requirements for good welfare. There is no doubt that animals will suffer and experience poor welfare when raised in such intensive systems.

How many animals are farmed in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)?

The vast majority of animals raised for food in today’s world are being raised in CAFOs; that is, in farms that employ intensive farming methods. It is hard to obtain accurate numbers, as the scale of the industrialised animal agriculture industry is so vast. However, we can make some estimates.

Sentience Institute “estimates that over 90% of farmed animals globally are living in factory farms at present. This includes an estimated 74% of farmed land animals (vertebrates only) and virtually all farmed fish.”

You can read more on the Global Farmed & Factory Farmed Animals Estimates by Sentience Institute.

Operations and Welfare Concerns: What is a Typical Industrial Farm?

Intensive farming operations / CAFOS encompass a range of different types of farms, from modified smaller-scale backyard farms to the truly industrialised “mega farms” that are increasingly being established by large companies all over the world.

In less developed countries, many farmers have modified their small-scale farming operations to become more intensive, using basic materials such as wood and wire to create the components of intensive farms, such as battery cages for layer hens and gestation stalls and farrowing crates for female pigs. These types of farms, whilst not fully industrialised or modernised, can still be regarded as intensive farming operations or CAFOs, as their aim is to produce as much product as possible using the smallest space possible.

Farmers may use basic materials to create intensive housing systems for their livestock. On this duck egg farm in Indonesia, ducks are confined in small wire battery cages.
Credit: Haig / Act for Farmed Animals / We Animals Media.

Increasingly, large companies are investing vast amounts of money into opening modern “mega farms” - industrial-scale agricultural operations that focus on the intensive production of livestock. These farms are characterised by their significant size, high animal stocking densities, and mechanised production processes. On these farms, machinery has taken over many of the jobs traditionally undertaken by farm workers, such as feeding, cleaning and collecting eggs. Some modern farms even serve as processing facilities for the final animal products.

The descriptions of farming systems and conditions on farms on this website provide an overview of typical conditions that have been observed and documented (through photographs and video recordings) on CAFOs all over the world. They may not apply to every farm, but the information provides a summary of typical conditions, processes in place and common welfare concerns on farms that raise animals in intensive systems.

In the Southeast Asia context, undercover investigations carried out at intensive egg farms (chicken and duck) and fish farms in Southeast Asia (Indonesia and Thailand) by Sinergia Animal have revealed that conditions at these farms are consistent with the typical conditions that have been widely documented by animal welfare organisations in other countries. Confinement of animals in small spaces, such as using battery cages for hens and gestation and farrowing crates for sows, is widely practised.

For aquatic animals, investigations by Shrimp Welfare Project have been conducted in Vietnam that give an insight into welfare standards there.

Additionally, the We Animals Media website features several photos that have been taken at various animal farms in Southeast Asia. These photographs are accompanied by details of the living conditions and welfare of the animals on these particular farms. Whilst we do not know if these farms are typical of most farms in these countries, they do give a valuable insight into what farms may be like and what conditions can be found. In some cases, these examples may give an indication of what living conditions and welfare standards are deemed to be “acceptable” within a particular country. For example, some photos of an organic pig farm in Thailand depict wholly substandard living conditions and welfare, yet this farm is described as organic.

Further Reading