Albany, NY — Today, state Senate and Assembly Republicans will join big agribusiness groups to hold a press conference at the State Capitol in support of the mega-dairy industry. The move comes on the heels of the introduction of new legislation to ban new mega-dairies and factory farms in New York. Recent Food & Water Watch analysis of New York’s mega dairy industry reveals the following:

• Mega-Dairy explosion: From 2002-2022 about two thirds of New York’s family-scale dairies shuttered while the number of dairy factory farms doubled. Today New York is home to 318 mega dairies, containing an average of 1,337 cows each.
• Family-scale dairies are going out of business. New York lost one third of its family-scale dairies from 2002 to 2022. The number fell by 1,900 (43.5 percent) from 2017 to 2022 alone.
• Tipping point: More than half (35) of New York’s counties rank “Severe” or “High” for factory dairy cow density. Wyoming, Cayuga and Genesee Counties top the charts. Food & Water Watch research details the host of environmental, public health, and economic problems associated with high factory farm density.

As factory farms take over, communities are demanding food system reform. Hundreds of groups support federal legislation to ban new factory farms, and dozens are rallying behind similar legislation introduced last month in New York.

Alex Beauchamp, Northern Region Director at Food & Water Watch said:

“Mega-dairies are dumping massive amounts of untreated waste into our environment, contaminating New York’s water, polluting the air, and putting nearby communities at risk. It’s time for the state to stop putting the profits of corporate agribusiness giants over the millions of New Yorkers fighting for a better food system. Every passing year we see mega-dairies continue to push out small farmers across the state, polluting our environment in the process. It’s time to stop permitting new factory farms and mega-dairies.”