These days, factory farms are the most economical way to farm animals. Factory farming statistics show that maintaining industrial livestock is far more profitable than traditional farming. The difference in profits is millions of dollars.
But here’s the thing, factory farming, or intensive farming, isn’t the most ethical way to get meat to the market. There are many critics out there speaking against the inhumane way that factory farm animals are being treated.
In fact, you will find many organizations dedicated to protesting factory farms.
Here’s what we’ve discovered!
Top 10 Facts About Livestock
- More than 80% of pigs are ill with pneumonia when they’re killed.
- Dairy cows produce about 20,000 lbs worth of milk each year.
- Today the chicken we consume contains 220% more fat than in the 1950s.
- Around 60% of sows are put in farrowing crates while giving birth.
- Globally, around 50 billion farm animals raised for consumption annually.
- There are around 800 mega-farms in operation around the United Kingdom.
- 94% of people in the United States feel animals raised for food shouldn’t suffer.
- In the United States, 99% of farm animals are raised on factory farms.
- 7.61 billion broiler chicks were produced on US farms between January and October 2020.
- Factory farming has polluted 145,000 miles of rivers and streams in the US.
Animal abuse in these factory farms is by far one of the biggest concerns. There are concerns about waste and emissions affecting the environment. And health concerns, because of the drugs fed to these animals.
Keep reading to find out more!
General Farming Facts
Numbers show that most of the meat in the world is now produced by factory farms. This means we have clear data showing us what the environmental impact is, and how the animals on these farms are being treated.
1. Animals on factory farms grow unnaturally fast, at a rate 3 times greater than if they were left alone.
(One Green Planet)
Animal farming statistics show this is because they’re selectively bred and given drugs that cause them to get bigger. For example, a chicken grows to the size needed for slaughter 55 days before it should naturally.
2. In 2017, there were over 1.6 billion animal farms on 25,000 factory farms in the US.
(Food & Water Watch)
The 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture data was released in April 2020 and revealed some shocking numbers. A dramatic increase from 28.5 million animal farms in 2012, in eight years.
3. There are more jobs available because this business is more profitable.
(ConnectUS)
Factory farming statistics from 2019 show that farmers can earn millions more than they would if they were farming more traditionally.
Laborers can earn around $12 per hour for a general laborer position and more than $18 per hour for a manager position.
4. More than 80% of pigs are ill with pneumonia when they’re killed for their meat.
(One Green Planet)
Pig factory farming facts reveal a very sad truth. Factory farm environment causes the livestock to become ill because of the lack of space, manure, and large amounts of ammonia.
5. According to the facts, dairy cows only rest for a short period of months between pregnancies.
(Farm Sanctuary)
Dairy cows need to be pregnant to deliver milk. As a result, they spend most of their lives pregnant.
6. Dairy cows produce about 20,000 lbs worth of milk each year.
(Farm Sanctuary)
Factory farming and animal cruelty facts show that the two are very closely related.
Milking machines and selective breeding for the purpose of producing milk often result in a swelling of the udder glands. This leaves the cow in an extensive amount of pain.
If you’re trying to imagine exactly what factory farming is, this is a good example of the treatment of animals in this practice.
7. Forced molting is a system where chickens are crammed together in the dark to encourage them to lay more eggs than they naturally would.
(United Poultry Concerns)
Molting is when the chickens replace their feathers. This process typically takes place over 12 months, usually right before winter begins.
Sadly, animal cruelty in factory farming speeds up this process. Molting can also be forced by starving the chickens for a period. Unfortunately, factory farming of chickens facts show will lead to them producing more eggs.
8. Piglets have their tails and testicles removed, and their teeth are clipped shortly after being born.
(One Green Planet)
The procedures are done with no pain relief medication being administered. Pork industry facts reveal the reason for the mutilation is to make it easier to keep many pigs in the same small place without them hurting one another or themselves.
There are no factory farming laws that prevent this practice.
9. Debeaking, tail docking, hot-iron branding, and dehorning are some of the painful practices that take place on a factory farm.
(Animal Welfare Institute)
These procedures are done with no pain management or anesthesia given to the animals.
However, there are high-welfare farming options that consider the animals’ comfort. They are just ignored with factory farming, the animal cruelty facts show.
10. Most of the antibiotics produced in the world are fed to animals.
(FoodPrint)
Over 80% of all antibiotics are given to farm animals. However, some of these antibiotics risk inducing harmful side effects, even in the humans eating this meat.
11. Sometimes, the chicken we consume today contains 220% more fat than it contained in the 1950s.
(Vittana)
So while the chicken we buy now may be twice as heavy as it was back then, that’s mostly because of the massive jump in fat content.
Global Farming Facts
Factory farming is in full swing around the world. Millions of animals globally suffer in cruel conditions, and the numbers are getting worse every year.
12. The barren battery cage was made illegal in the European Union at the beginning of 2012.
(Huffington Post)
A barren battery cage has a floor space that’s smaller than an A4 piece of paper per hen. Meanwhile, the chickens are forced to stand on a wire mesh floor, while being so cramped they can’t even stretch their wings.
Countries around the globe are considering these factory farming chicken facts. Hopefully, they’ll follow the European Union in eliminating this abusive practice.
13. Around 60% of sows in the United Kingdom are put in farrowing crates while giving birth from the 2019 show.
(RSPCA)
Farrowing crates are so small that they prevent the sow from showing her baby affection, making it impossible to so much as to lick or nuzzle it.
14. Globally, it’s estimated that around 50 billion farm animals are bred and raised for consumption annually.
(CIWF)
That’s a lot of animals born and raised simply to produce meat for sale. Statistics on factory farming show how prevalent this practice has become, it’s hard not to worry about how many animals have been affected.
15. Throughout the world, two-thirds of animals raised for food are factory farmed.
(CIWF)
That’s over 60% of the world’s population of farm animals being bred and raised on factory farms. Do you know how much of the meat you consume is factory-farmed?
16. There are around 800 mega-farms already in operation around the United Kingdom.
(The Independent)
These are large factory farms that animal activists criticize for being inhumane and unethical.
Animal Facts in the US
Factory farming in the US has done irreparable damage to the environment and the animal kingdom.
17. Dairy cows in the United States usually only live to 5 years old or younger before they’re slaughtered for their meat.
(Farm Sanctuary)
A dairy cow should naturally live for two decades or even longer. This just goes to show how short the lives of factory farm animals are cut.
18. 94% of people in the United States say they believe the animals raised to feed us should not suffer.
(ASPCA)
But, if you look at the history of factory farming, most of these animals experience pain and discomfort on a near-constant basis.
This includes the animals being mutilated from birth. This ensures that the animal isn’t damaged due to fighting or self-harm in the small space set aside for them to grow and live.
19. In the United States, 99% of farm animals are raised on farms.
(Plantbased News)
Studies show that only 1% of animals are being raised on more humane farms. Yet, 75% of Americans think they’re purchasing cruelty-free meat, eggs, and dairy. They don’t realize the factory farming cruelty that takes place.
One look at these statistics would show them why factory farming is bad.
20. According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, in 2017, between 98.2% and 99.9% of chickens were from farms.
(Plantbased News)
The 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture also shows that 98.3% of hogs and 70.4% of cows were from factory farms.
21. 7.61 billion broiler chicks were produced on American farms between January and October 2020.
(The Poultry Site)
Factory farming statistics from 2020 show that’s a lot more chicken than could be produced by a non-factory farm in that same time frame.
Global Warming Facts
Many factors affect global warming and climate change. But factory farming and the environment are very closely related. Global warming raises the levels of pollution, increases the number of diseases, and affects the wildlife.
22. Waste from raising cattle, poultry, and hogs has polluted 145,000 miles of rivers and streams in the US.
(ICCR)
Poultry industry facts show that factory farming and animal cruelty aren’t the only related areas. Unfortunately, nature suffers as well.
Water pollution statistics also reveal that close to a million acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds have been polluted, too. And over 3000 square miles of bays and estuaries.
Raising such large numbers of animals on these farms also leads to problems with land and air pollution, according to facts about factory farming on the environment.
23. According to the EPA, Agriculture is the top cause of water wastage in the United States.
(PETA)
The creation of one pound of meat uses 2,400 gallons of water. This represents half of all the water the US uses. On the flip side, one pound of wheat only uses 25 gallons.
24. It’s believed that because of farming waste in Maryland and West Virginia, the local male fish are developing ovaries.
(PETA)
According to the factory farming stats, the run-off from factory farms includes chicken feces that contains the drugs used to make the chickens grow faster.
25. It’s estimated that 14,400 acres of rainforest are cut down each day to make space for cattle farms.
(PETA)
That’s one acre destroyed every six seconds. Factory farming and environmental statistics show that 90% of the Amazon rainforest that’s been cut down in the last 50 years is used in the meat industrial livestock production process.
There are concerns that the deforestation of the Amazon is connected to the extreme forest fires that destroyed such a large part of the rainforest.
26. Around 260 million acres of forests in the United States have been cut down to produce crops as food for farm animals.
(PETA)
The land is cleared to grow the crops needed to feed farm animals, which are then slaughtered to feed us. Livestock grazing is also a major reason that several unique species of plants are becoming extinct.
27. The environmental stats show that 70% of consumable freshwater is used for agricultural purposes.
(Sentient Media)
This includes water for the animals and water for the crops they eat. Only 1% of the freshwater available on earth is consumable by humans. Which means we’re giving most of our water resources to the agricultural industry.
28. In the United States, it’s estimated that about 40% of the emissions caused by agriculture come from farming animals.
(Sentient Media)
Factory farming statistics show that because of its extensive use of resources, chemical runoff, and large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, animal farming is one of the top causes of climate change.
29. Farming cows, whether for meat or dairy, produce the highest amount of methane.
(Sentient Media)
This is because of “enteric fermentation,” which happens in the process of digestion. Based on factory farming pollution statistics, this methane makes up over a third of emissions from agriculture in the US.
30. Globally, dairy cows produce 3.7 billion gallons of feces and urine every single day.
(Sentient Media)
The average cow excretes about 14 gallons daily, and there are about 264 million cows bred for milking worldwide. With the way this waste is sometimes stored, there’s a risk that it might contaminate healthy water sources.
FAQ
31. How common are factory farms?
66% of the population of the world’s farm animals are raised on factory farms. That number is even higher for the United States. In the US, 99% of all farm animals are born and raised on factory farms.
This means that traditional farming methods have long since been replaced in the first world with factory farming. Factory farms allow farmers to earn millions more, as opposed to farming in the way they would have decades ago.
32. Where is factory farms most common in the world?
Globally, it was calculated that there were around two million factory farms raising about 9.32 billion farm animals in 2017.
In the United Kingdom alone that same year, there were around 800 mega factory farms. Brazil and China are the countries where factory farming is the most established and common, but the US isn’t far behind.
That’s a lot of meat being produced by many factory farms throughout the world.
33. How much pollution does farming produce?
Throughout the world, dairy cows produce 3.7 billion gallons of excrement in a single day. That’s an enormous amount of urine and feces, which isn’t good for the environment.
In the United States, it’s estimated that 40% of the total agricultural emissions come from factory farms, polluting both the air and the water. These statistics show that factory farming produces an extensive amount of pollution every day.
34. Is factory farming bad for the environment?
Yes, factory farming is bad for the environment. For starters, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, factory farming is the top cause of water wastage in the US.
Besides this, dairy cows alone produce 3.7 billion gallons of excrement in a single day, and the methane that cows produce makes up a third of the emissions from agriculture.
The waste and chemical runoff from factory farms can create many environmental issues. We should also note that factory farming is responsible for an enormous amount of deforestation.
35. How does it affect people?
Factory farming makes it more economical to farm more animals at once than ever before. This means that the price of meat goes down and more jobs are created by the factory farming industry.
However, when it comes to factory farming, facts on pros and cons, reveal that the cons outweigh the pros.
However, there are health concerns surrounding factory farming because many of the animals are fed antibiotics in large quantities, which can, therefore, end up in your food.
Drugs are used to make the animals grow faster and bigger than they would naturally, and these drugs also might end up in the food we eat.
36. Why is it bad?
There are so many reasons against factory farming. First and foremost — it promotes and supports animal abuse. Unfortunately, it also affects the environment and people. It pollutes the air, land, and water.
Moreover, it fills our food with antibiotics.
37. What are the benefits of farms?
The major benefit of factory farming is that meat becomes a lot cheaper than when it’s farmed using traditional methods. Besides this, farmers can earn a lot more money from factory farming compared to traditional farming.
38. How many farms are in the US?
As of 2017, there are more than 250,000 factory farms in America. Unfortunately, their number keeps growing every day.
39. What really happens in farms?
As we mentioned, a lot of cruelty happens on factory farms. Animals are crammed into small spaces. They’re constantly hurt, traumatized, and fed hormones and antibiotics to produce more milk, eggs, and meat.
Besides animal mutilation, these farms also hurt the environment and humans. Sadly, there are no factory farming laws and regulations that would put an end to this torture.
40. How do farms kill animals?
Factory farms kill animals in the most inhumane ways. We won’t go into too much detail because it’s truly gut-wrenching. But, they often have their throats slit while still being conscious. Many are even thrown into boiling water, while still alive.
41. Should farming be banned?
Absolutely! A ban is necessary to stop all the torture, mutilation, pain, and pollution.
Final Thoughts
As an animal lover, these facts and statistics can be a little concerning. Whether you’re a dog person or prefer the feline species, the fate of all animals should be something to consider.
And looking at these rather shocking factory farming statistics, it should be clear that this method of farming isn’t the kindest way to farm animals. And yet, it’s the cheapest and most economical way to produce meat for the mass market.
One thing is obvious, though, and that is that factory farming is a vast industry affecting billions of people in various ways.
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