From Birth to Slaughter: A Farm Animal’s Journey - EL DESPERTAR SAI

In dark, overcrowded sheds, behind sealed metal doors, countless Animal Rights suffer through lives filled with suffering, isolation, and neglect. These creatures—pigs, chickens, cows, fish, and more—are victims of an intensive system built for efficiency, not ethics. The Humane Foundation is committed to ending this ongoing abuse through awareness, outreach, and reform, bringing the realities of factory farming.

It is a tragedy hidden in plain sight: billions of animals living and dying in the dark corners of industrial farms, with no chance for freedom, dignity, or comfort. While food stores are filled with meat, dairy, and eggs, few consumers understand the cruelty, consequences, and cost that lie behind each one.

### Industrial Animal Agriculture in Focus

Factory farming—the high-density breeding and slaughter of animals for food—has grown into one of the most urgent issues facing society of our time.

### The Machinery of Suffering

At the heart of the issue is the treatment of sentient beings as mere units of production. Chickens are genetically manipulated to grow so fast their bones fracture under their own weight. Mother pigs are trapped in stalls so small they cannot turn around. Dairy cows are kept in a cycle of forced pregnancy and suffer maternal loss to keep producing milk. Even aquatic animals, frequently ignored in animal welfare, suffer through packed enclosures and prolonged suffering in industrial fish farms.

These practices are not outliers—they are the norm. Globally, over 90% of farmed animals live in factory farm conditions. Science confirms that these animals can experience a full range of emotions. Yet, their needs are ignored for profit margins.

### Why Cruelty Continues

Despite growing awareness of animal sentience, legal protections for farmed animals remain minimal. Actions that would be criminal if committed against a dog or cat—like cutting off tails without anesthetic—are routine in animal agriculture.

Factory farming thrives on a disconnect: between consumers and animals, between food and suffering. This desensitization is reinforced by clean packaging, buzzwords like "humane", and lack of transparency. Animals are dehumanized and referred to as “stock”—a linguistic erasure that hides suffering.

### More Than Ethics: A Global Threat

Factory farming isn’t just unethical—it’s dangerous.

- **Antibiotic resistance**: Around 70% of antibiotics worldwide are used on farmed animals to manage unsanitary, overcrowded conditions. This fuels superbugs—a crisis the WHO ranks among the top global health threats.
- **Zoonotic diseases**: High-density animal farming increases the risk of outbreaks like swine flu that can spread globally.
- **Diet-related illness**: Diets rich in processed meat are linked to obesity, while vegan diets show lower risks.
- **Environmental degradation**: Factory farms are leading sources of climate emissions, deforestation, aquifer damage, and biodiversity loss. Livestock uses nearly 80% of agricultural land but provides less than 20% of the world’s calories.

### A Broken System on the Brink

Industrial animal agriculture is ecologically catastrophic. It inflicts massive suffering, harms human health, and fuels environmental collapse.

But there is hope. Across the globe, advocates, innovators, young people are demanding better. Sustainable diets are rapidly advancing. Welfare regulations are challenging cruelty. New generations are opting for compassion.

### Time for Change

The question is no longer *if* animals suffer in factory farms—but how long we’ll tolerate it.

Every purchase, every law, is a statement of values. Ending factory farming isn’t about individual purity; it’s about collective responsibility.

It’s time to recognize animals as sentient peers—not as commodities, but as beings with value.

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**To learn more or take action, visit**: https://cruelty.farm
**Get involved**: https://cruelty.farm/take-action/

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### About the Humane Foundation

The Humane Foundation is a UK-registered, self-funded nonprofit working to abolish factory farming and transforming food and farming for all beings. Through outreach, action, and awareness, the Foundation mobilizes citizens to stand up for justice—for animals, people, and the planet.