Factory farming, the silent culprit of climate change and a hotbed for animal cruelty

Our growing population, urbanization and increasing economic prosperity are driving greater demand for animal products.

There are more than 70 billion land-based animals consumed annually of which, most are cruelly confined to industrial, low-welfare systems. These Animals are reared Under horrendous conditions not only causing animal suffering on an imaginable scale, but they also pose a threat to the existence of humanity through climate change, pollution, antibiotic resistance, and destruction of wild animal habitats.

Harms Caused by factory farms
When most people think of climate change, they think of fossil fuels being extracted and burnt for our energy and transport needs. Our new report, reveals the true impact of factory farming on our planet, finding that ongoing expansion of factory farming will put the achievement of the Paris Climate Agreement goals and a climate-safe future out of reach.

Every year, 80 billion animals are farmed globally, most on cruel factory farms. our latest research report, Climate change and cruelty: revealed the true impact of factory farming, analysed the environmental impact of factory-farmed chicken and pork in four of the world's biggest factory farming hot spots. It found that emissions from chicken meat in Brazil, China, Netherlands and US alone are equivalent to keeping 29 million cars on the road for a year.

Four of the biggest factory farming hot spots were assessed – Europe (using data from the Netherlands), US, Brazil and China. Top-line findings show that:

• Land is cleared in biodiversity hot spots to grow crops to feed farmed animals, releasing carbon into the atmosphere and destroying wild animal habitats. Crops are traded globally, destined for factory farms
• When deforestation to grow feed crops – especially soya - for global trade is considered, this doubles the overall climate change impact of factory farmed meat in the Netherlands and increases the impact by more than one and a half times in China
• A 50% reduction in consumption of both chicken and pork by 2040, along with a 50% adoption of higher welfare products would halve the annual climate impacts of chicken and pork production across these four hot spots
• This would be equivalent to taking 45 million cars off the road for a year in the four hot spots combined.

Sacrificing food safety and animal welfare for profits has resulted in the dangerous overuse of antibiotics. Factory farms use up to 75 percent of the world's supply of antibiotics. Even though there is growing evidence that higher welfare farming systems can reduce the need for antibiotics, factory farms continue their irresponsible use of these antibiotics—increasing the risk of antibiotic resistance in people. This problem is so severe that the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the top 10 global threats to human health. Already more than 1.25 million people die each year as a result of antibiotic resistance. it is estimated that this will rise to at least 10 million people by 2050

Farmed animals deserve good lives, free from cruelty and exploitation which can only be achieved when we take on the global food systems that fuel animal abuse and cruelty. Since the scale of the challenge is immense, immediate Action is required, Now! Working together is the only way we turn the tide by not standing for the status quo, speaking with courage and determination, and transforming global food systems to humane and sustainable ones.

It is for the above reasons that World Animal Protection is requesting you to sign a petition and ask your government to impose a moratorium on factory farms and introduce/enforce higher farmed animal welfare legislation.

Why your Voice counts
The petition will be submitted to all governments during the COP27 meeting to compel them to put a moratorium to factory farming as a way to protect animals, humans, and planet.