A dead end
Factory farming gets more and more out of every animal. Sows are bred for ever larger litters. The larger the litter, the more piglets are too weak to survive. Farms adapt their management to this, not the system.
Farmers say they are forced to do this by competition on the world market. Exporting countries such as the Netherlands developed these methods. Other countries adopted them and often produce more cheaply. Anyone who wants to keep up has to become even more efficient. The animal pays the price.
This choice is defended with fallacies, such as "consumers demand it". It is up to each of us to see through them. So stay critical: check where a claim comes from and who benefits from it.
Why it is a dead end
An industry that takes all resilience out of its animals becomes vulnerable. You can see this in the animal diseases. Since 2021, bird flu (H5N1) has spread around the world. It now circulates among wild birds and also among mammals, including dairy cattle in the United States. In the sheds, thousands of animals of the same breed live close together. They never get the chance to build up resistance in a natural environment. That is why entire flocks are killed when there is an outbreak. Only a few countries vaccinate poultry against bird flu. France has vaccinated ducks since 2023.
A road that keeps getting stuck like this leads nowhere. The answer is integrity: being whole, being consistent, standing by your principles.
Which alternative do you choose?
This site has an ethical barometer. It shows how different lifestyles score, from buying organic meat to becoming vegan.
It is not black and white. A small improvement in the shed is sometimes nothing more than window dressing: making things look better than they are. Stay critical, of yourself and of others. Choose what suits you.
Animal Freedom takes freedom as its starting point. We support everything that gives animals and people more room to behave naturally.
Make the alternative attractive
If you oppose factory farming, do not lose yourself in anger. It works better to set a good example yourself. The first vegans made their choice out of protest. Their way of life was not yet an attractive one. The number of vegans is still small, but plant-based products are now available in almost every supermarket. There is still room to grow.
Plant-based cooking can be healthier and tastier. But it does not come by itself: you have to learn it. This site has vegetarian barbecue recipes to get you started.
This applies all over the world. Everywhere there are people who make money from animals. But everywhere there are also people who want things to change. They too face the choice of changing old customs in the use of animals when these lead to animal suffering.
There is a lot you can do yourself
Stand up for what you want. Take responsibility when you are asked for your opinion. If you stop voting, you miss a chance to be heard. Keep a cool head and work on your own lifestyle. That is the strongest argument.
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Sources: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), avian influenza situation reports (2021–2026); French Ministry of Agriculture, duck vaccination campaign (since October 2023). Updated on 7 October 2026. |
