Factory Farms Cost UK Taxpayers Over 1.2 Billion Pounds Per Year, Says New Report

A new report has looked at the high cost of factory farming

15th December 2024

2 Minutes Read

A new report estimates that factory farming costs UK taxpayers over GBP £1.2 billion per year.

The report, titled The Hidden Harms of Factory Farms, finds that the high cost of factory farming undermines food security rather than aiding it.

The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) – a Tory-linked animal welfare lobbying group founded by two Conservative voters – produced the report. CAWF used public government data and an original Bryant Research survey of 1,000 UK residents.

The report estimates that 85 percent of farming subsidies for chicken and pig farmers are absorbed by factory farms, which is around £269 million per year.

Factory farming is linked to extensive environmental pollution and related public health issues. The report estimates the cost of water and air pollution from factory farms to be £518 million, while the cost of increased respiratory deaths is around £92 million.

“This report challenges the most basic justifications for factory farming,” said Zac Goldsmith, a Conservative politician and former Environment Minister. “While these industrial farms claim to provide cheap meat and improved food security, the reality is far more complex.”

New report challenges ‘the most basic justifications’ for factory farming

Photo shows three factory farm pigs, each inside their own small cage — Adobe Stock Factory farms rely on cramped conditions for their high output

The new CAWF report recommends halting the expansion of new megafarm facilities and the restructuring of farming subsidies to favor smaller-scale farms growing more nutritious, environmentally-friendly foods. It also calls for increased transparency around subsidies.

Animal agriculture and factory farming absorb a disproportionate amount of subsidization throughout Europe and the US, as well as in the UK. This makes animal products “artificially cheap,” further undermining both environmental goals and independent farmers.

The UK is becoming more intensively farmed than ever. About 85 percent of all farmed animals in Britain are raised on factory farms, and the number of US-style “megafarms” is rising. Moving money away from animal agriculture and towards plant foods could help countries meet national and international climate, environmental, and health commitments.