Industrial Livestock Farming

Industrial livestock farming is a system in which animal products such as meat, milk and eggs are produced on a large scale using intensive and mechanized methods. This system involves raising animals in high-density environments known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Its primary objective is to reduce production time and costs, lower energy requirements, and increase both the quantity and quality of output by leveraging information and communication technologies. This production model is based on the standardization and control of all processes—from the genetic makeup of animals to their feeding, living conditions and reproductive cycles—to maximize efficiency.

Historical Development

Human domination over animals began with the domestication of animals during the Neolithic Age. The Agricultural Revolution marked the beginning of a process in which humans sought to impose rules on nature, introducing a new dimension to human-animal relationships. The perception of animals as property and their enslavement originated in this period.

The Industrial Revolutions generated technological leaps in livestock practices, laying the foundations for the industrial model.

• The First Industrial Revolution saw the widespread adoption of mechanization, and the importance of genetic traits in animal production was recognized, leading to the initiation of selective breeding programs.

• The Second Industrial Revolution introduced serial production and standardization principles to livestock farming; the use of purebred animals and crossbreeding methods became widespread to enhance productivity. The significance of feed and nutrition was also better understood during this period.

• The Third Industrial Revolution is characterized by the integration of electronic control systems and robotics. Computer use during this era enabled improvements in feed quality, particularly in compound feed production, and facilitated automation in herd management, care and feeding.

• The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) integrates information technologies with industry, incorporating intelligent, human-independent production methods into livestock farming, where agricultural machinery interacts with each other.

The spread of capitalist modes of production intensified animal exploitation by transforming animals and their body parts into units of capital accumulation, playing a decisive role in shaping contemporary industrial livestock farming.

Key Features and Applications

Industrial livestock farming is defined by a set of standardized practices aimed at maximizing efficiency.

Intensive and Closed Systems

Animals are typically housed in high-density enclosed spaces that restrict their movement. Examples include gestation crates for pregnant sows that are too narrow to turn around, battery cages stacked for egg-laying hens, and cattle raised in feedlots instead of pastures. These conditions can induce stress that weakens the animals’ immune systems.

Automation and Technology (Industry 4.0 Applications)

Modern livestock operations utilize advanced technologies to enhance productivity and control.

Animal Identification

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology enables the automatic collection and monitoring of data such as birth dates, vaccinations and reproductive traits through electronic ear tags or microchips implanted in animals. These systems form the basis for performance tracking and record keeping.

Automated Milking Systems (AMS)

These systems perform milking without human labor, allowing cows to enter milking units whenever they choose. The system can monitor milk temperature, conductivity, color and volume in real time.

Automated Feeding Systems

Feed costs represent one of the largest expenses in livestock farming. Automated feeding units prepare customized rations based on each animal’s productivity criteria, adjust consumption levels and identify unused feed quantities.

Herd Management and Monitoring

Sensors collect data on animals’ body temperature, activity levels and rumination times. This information facilitates decision-making regarding estrus detection and early disease diagnosis.

Standardization and Genetic Selection

Industrial livestock farming relies on genetic improvement and selective breeding to ensure animals exhibit specific traits such as rapid growth with less feed, or high meat or milk yields. This process aims to modify the genetic makeup of animals to meet industry demands.

Medication Use

Intensive and crowded housing conditions facilitate the spread of diseases. Therefore, antibiotics are routinely added to animal feed in non-therapeutic doses to prevent illness and promote growth. Approximately half of all antibiotics produced worldwide are used in farm animals.

Specific Body Modifications and Practices

• Tail Docking: Pigs’ tails are cut to prevent biting, sheep’s tails to reduce soiling, and in cattle it may be performed to improve hygiene and prevent injuries.

• Castration: In male cattle, testicles are surgically or hormonally removed to improve meat quality, prevent unwanted breeding and make animals more docile.

• Elimination of Unwanted Sexes: In egg production, male chicks hatched from eggs are separated and killed because they cannot lay eggs; they are typically used in feed production.

Theoretical Approaches and Debates

Industrial livestock farming is the subject of various ethical, social and ecological debates.

Environmental Ethics Perspectives

Anthropocentric Approach

This view regards nature and animals as resources for human needs. According to this perspective, industrial livestock practices are considered legitimate as long as they benefit humanity.

Biocentric and Ecocentric Approaches

These approaches argue that humans do not possess existential superiority over other living beings and recognize moral value in all life forms or ecosystems. From this perspective, industrial practices that harm animal welfare and damage the environment are rejected.

Animal Welfare and Animal Rights

The concept of animal welfare emerged as a response to poor living standards and is defined by the “Five Freedoms”: freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain, disease and fear, and the freedom to express normal behavior. Moral rights theory goes further, asserting that sentient beings should not be treated merely as resources for human purposes, and that their exploitation—even under “humane” conditions—is ethically unacceptable.

Social and Economic Critiques

Speciesism and Commodification

This critical perspective argues that industrial livestock farming is built on speciesism—the ideology granting humans moral privilege over other species. Within capitalism, animals are viewed as labor tools or labor objects and transformed into “commodities.” In this process, animals are stripped of their status as conscious subjects and reduced to objects whose every part is exploited for profit.

Alienation

In the production process, animals are deprived of their species-specific activities such as expressing natural behaviors, socializing and caring for offspring, becoming alienated from their own existence. Simultaneously, human workers on production lines become alienated from the living beings they kill and process, through spatial and emotional detachment.

Public Health and Ecological Risks

Zoonotic Diseases

Keeping animals in crowded and stressful conditions suppresses their immune systems, making them more susceptible to infections. These environments increase the risk of new and pathogenic virus strains, such as avian and swine influenza, emerging and transmitting to humans.

Antibiotic Resistance

Widespread and non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in farm animals creates an ideal environment for the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These resistant bacteria can transmit to humans through meat products, animal waste or water sources, causing infections that are difficult or impossible to treat.

Environmental Impacts

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), industrial livestock farming is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions—more than the entire transportation sector. Additionally, converting forested land into cropland for animal feed production contributes to deforestation and biodiversity loss.

Legal and Social Regulations

Various countries have implemented legal regulations to address problems caused by industrial livestock farming. The European Union has taken a leading role by banning gestation crates, battery cages and the use of antibiotics to promote growth. In Türkiye, the Animal Protection Law No. 5199, enacted in 2004, aims to ensure animals live comfortably and prevent all forms of suffering. Regulations also cover animal transport and slaughter. Nevertheless, animal welfare issues persist in practice, particularly regarding long-distance animal transport.

Alternatives

Several alternatives have been proposed in response to the ethical, health and environmental problems created by industrial livestock farming.

Vegetarianism

Transitioning to plant-based diets is suggested as a way to avoid the problems caused by factory farming. This approach argues that raising and killing animals for food is unnecessary.

Humane Livestock Farming

Smaller-scale farms based on sustainable agricultural principles, where animals are raised in less stressful conditions, are viewed as an alternative. In this model, animals are granted more space to move and are encouraged to eat natural diets. However, this model still faces ethical criticism because animals are ultimately sent for slaughter.

In-Vitro Meat Production

This technique involves growing meat from stem cells taken from a single animal in a nutrient-rich laboratory environment. This technology has the potential to produce meat without harming animals, with lower environmental impact and improved nutritional profiles—for example, by adding beneficial fatty acids like Omega-3. However, it faces challenges related to cost, technological limitations and consumer acceptance.