Factory Farms

Thanks to factory farms, you can end up with meat from thousands of miles away loaded with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That’s not all — many communities also have to deal with tainted water and severe air pollution caused by nearby farms. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can change government policies that promote factory farms, fight corporate control that forces farmers “to get big or get out,” and encourage sustainably-raised meat. You, your family, and the planet deserve better than factory farms.

Get the Facts

• Most animals raised for food in the United States are raised on factory farms.
• For years, investigations have revealed conditions on some factory farms that result in extreme animal suffering.
• The total number of livestock on the largest factory farms rose by more than one-fifth between 2002 and 2007.
• The average size of hog factory farms increased by 42 percent over a decade. Seven states average more than 10,000 hogs per factory farm.
• The average size of egg operations has grown by half over the decade. The five states with the largest flocks all average at least 750,000 hens per factory farm.
• Although the EPA is tasked with regulating factory farms, it has done little or nothing to control the environmental damage caused by factory farms.

Take Action

• Challenge the corporate control of our food system.
• Tell the EPA to finally regulate air and water pollution from factory farms.
• Use our consumer tools to make the best decisions when it comes to your food.

Learn More

• Six Myths and Facts About Perdue’s Savefarmfamilies.org

• Factory Farm Nation: How America Turned Its Livestock Farms into Factories
• Taking on Corporate Power in the Food Supply
• Horizontal Consolidation and Buyer Power in the Beef Industry
• Consolidation and Price Manipulation in the Dairy Industry
• Abusive Poultry Contracts Require Government Action
• Why Antitrust Laws Matter for Agriculture and Food
• State Fact Sheets on Factory Farming