Key Resources

The huge volume of research illustrating the negative impacts of industrial livestock operations can be overwhelming, so we compiled the go-to resources that our staff use regularly for public education and issue advocacy.

Pew Commission Report on Industrial Farm Animal Production

The most comprehensive analysis of industrial livestock production available, this 2008 report concludes that the system’s negative impacts on public health, the environment, and animal welfare require urgent action, and makes a series of recommendations to mitigate the unacceptable risks.

A 2019 follow-up report by Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future assessed the impact of the Commission’s recommendations, finding negligible progress since the original report was published.

Learn more about the Pew Commission and find additional reports about specific impacts of industrial livestock production on the PCIFAP website.

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American Public Health Association CAFO Moratorium (2019)

In 2019, American Public Health Association (APHA) called for a precautionary moratorium on new and expanding concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), citing significant environmental and public health risks, along with serious social and environmental injustices affecting low-income communities and racial and ethnic minority residents. Because existing CAFO regulations fail to protect the environment and human health, APHA recommends extending the moratorium until adequate protections are established.

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Factory Farm Nation Report 2020

This Food & Water Watch report describes the dangerous trends of factory farm expansion and increasing consolidation in the meat, poultry, dairy, and egg industries. It details the air, water, and climate change impacts of the 885 billion pounds of manure produced annually by the 1.6 billion animals in our nation’s 25 thousand factory farms.

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Right to Harm Film

Through the stories of five rural communities, this documentary exposes the devastating public health impact factory farming has on disadvantaged rural communities. Filmed across the U.S., it chronicles the failures of state agencies to regulate industrial animal agriculture and the tale of disenfranchised residents who band together to demand justice from legislators.

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Living a Nightmare: Animal Factories in Michigan

This short documentary depicts the devastating impact of industrial livestock operations in rural Michigan. Featuring SRAP Field Operations Director and Goldman Environment Prize winner, Lynn Henning, the film addresses the issue from the underreported perspective of the community members most directly impacted by these facilities.

Video Part OneVideo Part Two