Alternatives to factory farming

WSPA is working hard to convince governments, farmers and consumers that high welfare farming is better for animals, people and the environment.

As well as campaigning work, WSPA’s Model Farm Project, carried out in partnership with FAI, is a living, practical demonstration that high welfare farming is profitable and sustainable.

There are many benefits to ensuring animal welfare, for the environment, farmers and society. For example:

• moderate-scale, humane farms with local supply chains create and retain jobs locally and contribute to food security

• humane farms often require fewer inputs of grain feed, fuel and water. They also keep animals at lower stocking densities, reducing the risk of pollution

• well-managed farms combining crops and livestock go a long way toward reducing the environmental damage caused by livestock, by recycling nutrients and enhancing soil fertility

• good animal health and welfare can reduce costs and raise profits for farmers.

Make cruelty history

Good high welfare farms are already keeping animals in conditions close to their natural environment, by:

• farming slower – growing and traditional breeds which suffer from fewer health problems than conventionally used fast growing breeds

• allowing animals to express their normal behaviour and so preventing the need for mutilations such as teeth clipping.

• providing animals with more space to move and exercise.

Humanely farmed animals live longer, healthier and more active lives. The great benefits of higher welfare farming are being recognised in legislation. From 2012 the use of barren cages for egg-laying hens will be banned in the European Union (EU) and the prolonged use of sow stalls follow in 2013.

But there is much more to be done – the majority of animals still live and die in factory farms.

Help us to end factory farming

Many farmers are already rearing animals more humanely and producing cruelty free meat, milk and eggs.

By supporting them, you can send a message to the farming industry: factory farming is no longer accepted. High welfare farming methods can be profitable.

By changing our habits as consumers we can make the suffering caused by factory farming a thing of the past.