Can animal farms ever truly be ethical and sustainable, or must we shift to worker and community-controlled vegan food systems instead?

Animal farms are agricultural facilities where farmed animals are raised, confined, and exploited for the production of food and other products, prioritizing profit over animal protection and their natural behaviors. Animal farms can be small or large-scale. On large-scale farms, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and mechanized production are common. However, small farms are known to use the same techniques as larger farms, including intensive confinement and various mutilations, to name a couple. Additionally, animals excrete the same amount of waste. Animal agriculture, the raising of cows, goats, sheep, marine animals, and various birds such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks, consumes vast resources—land, water, and feed—and produces significant methane emissions. CAFOs confine animals in crowded conditions, raising ethical concerns about welfare and environmental degradation. Commodity crops like soy and corn often fuel these systems, contributing to habitat loss and rural displacement. Many agricultural practices can present challenges for workers, including exposure to hazardous chemicals and physically demanding labor. Movements that believe in the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through sustainable methods have advocated for community and worker control over food production.