A look at Europe’s intensive agriculture sector
Small-scale farms, particularly those specialised in animal farming, have faced an existential crisis in the last decades, with many forced out of business. Capturing the meat processing and production industry, corporate monoliths like Vion Food Group, Danish Crown, Groupe Bigard and Groupe LDC have tightened their grip, leaving smaller farms struggling to compete. The number of farms in the EU has plummeted, but the average size of those that remain is getting bigger, as factory farms become more common. Very large farms now account for 72.2% of all the animals being reared in the EU.
This industrial agriculture business model prioritises cheap meat production, and comes with a huge social, environmental and climate cost attached. In this briefing, we outline the state of play of European animal farming, particularly in the pig and poultry sector, and the environmental and social impact of the industrialisation of agriculture. It also presents some recommendations for the European Union to defend higher standards for the livestock industry and protect the needs of farmers, not big corporations.
