The Age of the

CAGE

'Egg-laying hens or ‘battery’ hens, live four to a cage which occupies a space of around eighteen square inches'

Factory Farming

Sustainability and Impact

Percentage

APRIL 2015

50 68

The growing population and increased demand for meat and dairy products have led to the dominance of ‘factoring farming’ or ‘intensive animal farming’ as a means to supply this demand. According to the Worldwatch Institute, as of 2006, 74 percent of the world's poultry, 43 percent of beef, 50 percent of pork, and 68 percent of eggs were produced this way. Today, factory farming accounts for two-thirds of all animal farming worldwide, but what exactly does this involve?

74 43

There are currently 7.3 billion human mouths to feed. According to the United Nations, this number is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Global meat production has almost doubled in the period between 1980 and 2004 (Food and Agriculture Organisation 2005). Current rates indicate that by 2050, meat production will again double worldwide.