Mutilations and Amputations – Pigs
What are the common mutilations and amputations performed on pigs? Common procedures include tail amputation, castration, teeth clipping, ear-notching, and ear tagging.[1-3] In the industrial animal ag system they are collectively known as “processing.”[4,5] Commercial operations commonly perform these procedures at the same time or within days of each other.[6,7] Temple Grandin (ed.) (2021) Painful […]
Groundwater & Aquifer Depletion
What is groundwater and what are aquifers? Groundwater is water that underlies the earth’s surface. It makes up ~98-99% of all freshwater on earth.[1] Aquifers are permeable underground structures where groundwater flows, accumulates in usable quantities, and is relatively accessible from above ground.[2,3] Margat, J. & Van der Gun, J. (2013). Groundwater around the […]
Mutilations & Amputations – Poultry
What is the most common amputation performed on poultry? The most common amputation for poultry is partial beak amputation. The process, originally called “debeaking,” is now euphemistically referred to by the industry as “beak trimming,” or “beak treatment.”[1] Virtually all egg-laying hens and turkeys in industrial animal ag operations undergo the process. Additionally, birds used […]
Clean Water Act Overview
What is the Clean Water Act (CWA)? Public outcry over dirty rivers spurred Congress to pass the Clean Water Act in 1972. The Act established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). It gave the EPA authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards […]
Feed Crop Water Usage
5 KEY POINTS – Feed Crop Water Usage 1. The share of crops specifically used for animal feed accounts for ~38% of total U.S. water consumption. 2. Including both feed crops and the direct water usage on factory farms (~2%), animal agriculture accounts for ~40% of total U.S. water consumption. 3. Broadly estimated, other food […]
Agricultural Water Usage
3 KEY POINTS – Agricultural Water Usage 1. Agriculture accounts for about 80% of total U.S. water consumption, almost all due to irrigation. 2. Most irrigation occurs in areas subject to water scarcity and drought; Western states account for most irrigation, with California the top user. 3. We consume almost 80% of the nation’s water […]
An Economic Perspective
Why is economics central to the animal ag system? The animal ag industry operates according to the economic principles of American-style capitalism. Although animal ag can be viewed from many important perspectives – social, environmental, nutritional, or through a worker or animal lens – the driving force behind industrial animal ag is basic economics.[1,2] John […]
Mutilations & Amputations Overview
What is the purpose of mutilations performed on farmed animals? Animals in the industrial animal ag system are subjected to an astonishingly wide range of mutilations and amputations, each one justified with multi-faceted rationales. Industry sources, most refereed journals, U.S. regulatory agencies, and even veterinary associations regularly assert that these “procedures” promote animal health, protect […]
Animal Deaths per Capita
Per capita, how many farmed animals die each year? For each living American, ~33 farmed animals died in 2024 – slaughtered for human meat consumption, died of other causes, or were killed.[1,2] U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. and World Population Clock, https://www.census.gov/popclock/ [U.S. population on December 31, 2024 = 341,140,964] Total number of animals slaughtered for […]
Total Animals Slaughtered and Dying
What is the total of farmed land animals that die or are killed before slaughter? In 2023 there were ~1.25 billion land animals that died or were killed (and not slaughtered for human food consumption).[1,2] In 2024 there were ~1.36 billion land animals that died or were killed (and not slaughtered for human food consumption).[1,2] […]