Révision n° 11la rédaction itsvegan · jeu. 29 oct. 2026 · 10:03
Révision n° 62la rédaction itsvegan · sam. 31 oct. 2026 · 11:05
+ ajouté− supprimé +5 421 octets
Résumé
| + Factory farming is the industrial raising of large numbers of animals in confined conditions to maximise output at low cost. Estimates suggest about three-quarters of farmed land animals worldwide, and over 99% in the US, live on factory farms. |
| − Factory farming, or intensive animal agriculture, is the industrial raising of large numbers of animals in confined conditions to maximise output at low cost. |
Infobox
| Also known as = Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production |
| US regulatory term = CAFO |
| Main species = Chickens, pigs, cattle, farmed fish |
| Emerged = Mid-20th century |
| + Share of farmed land animals = About 74% worldwide (estimate) |
| + Last reviewed = 31 October 2026 |
Texte de l’article
| + > **Quick answer:** Factory farming — also called intensive animal farming — means raising very large numbers of animals indoors or in crowded outdoor lots, with confinement, fast-growing breeds and mechanised systems designed to produce meat, eggs and milk as cheaply as possible. Our World in Data, using Sentience Institute estimates, puts the share of the world's farmed land animals living on factory farms at about **74%**, and over **99%** in the United States. It raises concerns about animal welfare, pollution, climate, antibiotic resistance and pandemic risk. |
| + |
| + ## Key facts |
| + |
| + - **Scale:** over 75 billion land animals are slaughtered for meat every year, most of them chickens ([Our World in Data](https://ourworldindata.org/how-many-animals-are-factory-farmed)). |
| + - **Share factory-farmed:** an estimated 74% of farmed land animals globally (about 23 billion at any time) and 99% in the US in 2022; the global estimate is uncertain ([Our World in Data](https://ourworldindata.org/how-many-animals-are-factory-farmed), based on Sentience Institute). |
| + - **US definition:** the Environmental Protection Agency defines animal feeding operations as facilities where animals are confined for at least 45 days a year without vegetation in the confinement area; large ones are regulated as CAFOs ([US EPA](https://www.epa.gov/npdes/animal-feeding-operations-afos)). |
| + - **Typical practices:** battery or enriched cages for hens, sow stalls and farrowing crates, high stocking densities, fast-growing broiler breeds, beak trimming, tail docking and early separation of calves. |
| + - **Reforms:** the EU banned conventional battery cages from 2012 ([Directive 1999/74/EC](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1999/74/oj)) and restricted sow stalls from 2013 ([Directive 2008/120/EC](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/120/oj)); California's Proposition 12 (2018) set minimum space rules. |
| + - **Climate:** livestock agrifood systems emit about 6.2 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent a year, around 12% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions ([FAO, 2023](https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/new-fao-report-maps-pathways-towards-lower-livestock-emissions/en)). |
| + |
| **Factory farming**, also called **intensive animal farming** or **industrial livestock production**, is a form of animal agriculture in which large numbers of animals are raised in confined conditions with the aim of maximising production while minimising cost. It is the dominant method of producing meat, eggs and dairy in many industrialised countries and is expanding in parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa. Factory farming is one of the most frequently cited reasons for [[ethical-veganism]]. |
| ## History |
| Intensive methods developed from the early to mid-20th century, enabled by the discovery of vitamins A and D (which allowed animals to be kept indoors without sunlight), the use of antibiotics, selective breeding and mechanisation. Broiler chicken production in the United States was among the first sectors to industrialise, followed by egg, pig and dairy production. The British writer Ruth Harrison's book *Animal Machines* (1964) drew public attention to these practices and led the UK government to commission the Brambell Report (1965), which proposed what later became known as the "Five Freedoms" of animal welfare. |
| ## Definitions |
| + There is no single international definition of a factory farm. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency uses the term **animal feeding operation (AFO)** for facilities where animals are kept and raised in confinement for at least 45 days in a 12-month period, and **concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)** for those that exceed certain size thresholds or discharge pollutants ([US EPA](https://www.epa.gov/npdes/animal-feeding-operations-afos)). Other definitions focus on stocking density, indoor confinement and the degree of industrialisation. |
| + |
| + | | Intensive (factory) systems | Extensive / higher-welfare systems | |
| + |---|---|---| |
| + | Space | High stocking density, often indoors | More space, often outdoor access | |
| + | Breeds | Fast-growing or high-yield breeds | Slower-growing or traditional breeds more common | |
| + | Behaviour | Natural behaviours often restricted | More opportunity to root, graze, dust-bathe | |
| + | Cost per unit | Lower | Higher | |
| + | Still involves slaughter? | Yes | Yes | |
| − There is no single international definition of a factory farm. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency uses the term **concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)** for facilities where animals are confined for at least 45 days a year and that exceed certain size thresholds. Other definitions focus on stocking density, indoor confinement and the degree of industrialisation. |
| ## Common practices |
| Practices commonly associated with factory farming include: |
| - **Confinement systems** such as battery cages for laying hens (see [[egg-industry]]), gestation crates (sow stalls) and farrowing crates for pigs, and individual pens for calves. |
| - **High stocking densities** in broiler chicken sheds and fish farms. |
| - **Rapid growth breeds**, particularly broiler chickens bred to reach slaughter weight in a few weeks, which has been associated with leg disorders and heart problems. |
| - **Physical alterations** such as beak trimming in poultry, and tail docking and castration in pigs, sometimes without pain relief. |
| - **Routine use of antibiotics**, historically including use for growth promotion, which has been linked to concerns about antimicrobial resistance. |
| - **Early separation** of young animals from their mothers, as in the [[dairy-industry]]. |
| ## Scale |
| + Factory farming accounts for the majority of animal products in many countries. Our World in Data, drawing on Sentience Institute analysis of the US Department of Agriculture's census and EPA definitions, reports that 99% of US livestock were factory-farmed in 2022, including over 98% of pigs and egg-laying hens, while about 75% of cattle spent at least 45 days a year in concentrated feeding operations. Globally it estimates that 74% of farmed land animals are factory-farmed, while cautioning that the global figure carries significant uncertainty ([Our World in Data](https://ourworldindata.org/how-many-animals-are-factory-farmed)). More than 75 billion land animals are slaughtered for meat each year, the large majority of them chickens; fish are not included because they are usually counted by weight rather than individually. |
| − Factory farming accounts for the majority of animal products in many countries. The Sentience Institute, a US think tank, estimated in 2019 that over 99% of farmed animals in the United States were living in factory farms, based on analysis of US Department of Agriculture census data. Globally, data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicate that tens of billions of land animals, the large majority of them chickens, are slaughtered for food each year, and that number does not include fish, which are counted by weight rather than individually. |
| ## Animal welfare concerns |
| Critics, including animal welfare organisations and many veterinarians, argue that intensive systems prevent animals from performing natural behaviours such as rooting, nesting, dust-bathing and grazing, and cause chronic stress, injury and disease. Supporters of intensive farming argue that indoor systems can protect animals from predators, weather and some diseases, and that they allow food to be produced at lower cost. |
| ## Environmental and public health concerns |
| Intensive livestock operations have been associated with: |
| 1. Water and air pollution from concentrated manure. |
| 2. Greenhouse gas emissions (see [[environmental-impact-of-animal-agriculture]] and [[veganism-and-climate-change]]). |
| 3. Demand for feed crops such as soy and maize, linked to land-use change. |
| 4. Antimicrobial resistance and the risk of zoonotic diseases, including avian influenza. |
| ## Regulation and reform |
| Some jurisdictions have restricted particular practices. The European Union banned conventional battery cages for laying hens from 2012 and restricted the use of sow stalls from 2013. In the United States, California's Proposition 12, approved by voters in 2018, set minimum space requirements for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and veal calves. Many vegans regard such reforms as insufficient, arguing that the underlying problem is the use of animals itself (see [[speciesism]]). Others support reforms as a way to reduce suffering in the short term. |
| + ## What can individuals do? |
| + |
| + People concerned about factory farming respond in different ways: some choose higher-welfare products, many reduce or stop eating animal products (see [[how-to-go-vegan]]), and others support campaigning or rescue organisations (see [[vegan-charities]] and the directory of [animal sanctuaries](/sanctuaries) and [organisations](/organizations)). |
| + |
| + ## Frequently asked questions |
| + |
| + ### What is factory farming? |
| + |
| + Factory farming is a system of raising large numbers of animals in confined, industrialised conditions to produce meat, eggs or milk at low cost. It is also called intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production. |
| + |
| + ### How many animals are factory-farmed? |
| + |
| + Estimates suggest around 74% of the world's farmed land animals, about 23 billion at any time, live on factory farms, and about 99% of farmed animals in the US. Most are chickens. |
| + |
| + ### Why is factory farming bad? |
| + |
| + Critics point to restricted natural behaviour, health problems linked to fast growth and crowding, physical alterations such as beak trimming, pollution from concentrated manure, greenhouse gas emissions, antibiotic use and the risk of zoonotic diseases. Supporters argue it produces cheaper food and can protect animals from predators and weather. |
| + |
| + ### Is "free-range" the opposite of factory farming? |
| + |
| + Free-range and organic standards require more space and outdoor access, but rules differ by country and species, and all systems still involve slaughter. Vegans avoid animal products regardless of farming system. |
| + |
| + ## Sources |
| + |
| + - Our World in Data – Hannah Ritchie, [How many animals are factory-farmed?](https://ourworldindata.org/how-many-animals-are-factory-farmed) (2023, updated 2024) |
| + - US Environmental Protection Agency – [Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs)](https://www.epa.gov/npdes/animal-feeding-operations-afos) |
| + - EUR-Lex – [Council Directive 1999/74/EC (laying hens)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1999/74/oj); [Council Directive 2008/120/EC (pigs)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/120/oj) |
| + - California Department of Food and Agriculture – [Animal Care Program (Proposition 12)](https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Care/) |
| + - FAO – [New FAO report maps pathways towards lower livestock emissions](https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/new-fao-report-maps-pathways-towards-lower-livestock-emissions/en) (2023) |
| + |
| + *Last reviewed: 31 October 2026.* |
| + |
| ## See also |
| - [[animal-sanctuaries]] |
| - [[veganism]] |
| - [[how-to-go-vegan]] |