This broiler farm in Thailand is typical of large-scale chicken farms that supply broiler chickens to restaurants and to corporate supermarket chains for local and international distribution. The farm has two rearing sheds at this location with approximately 22,000 30-day-old juvenile chickens per shed. The chicks are raised with continuous artificial lights kept on for up to 24 hours a day and with fans running to maintain a temperature of approximately 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). This combination of lighting and temperature stimulates the birds to eat and drink continuously. During the first 10 days on the farm, the chicks receive a vaccine from their drinking water to prevent disease. They are then constantly fed to increase their body weight until they reach a market weight of 1.8 to 2.2 kgs, usually within 30 days. On these industrial chicken farms, this rapid weight gain often leads to chicks having weak legs and experiencing difficulty walking. Approximately eight to twelve hours before the chickens are slaughtered, the farm stops feeding them: This reduces the contents in their digestive tracts and minimizes contamination of their carcasses and of slaughterhouse equipment. According to the farmer, the farm must keep the chicken mortality rate below three percent to meet the standards of the company that supplies the chicks. The farmer says that the farm finds three to four dead chickens each day. Dead birds found on the farm will be disposed of either by incineration or by boiling the bodies and feeding them to farmed catfish.

How Government Subsidies Are Fueling Factory Farming and Deforestation

News

As the world prepares for COP30 in Brazil, a new report by World Animal Protection reveals a critical but overlooked issue: taxpayer-funded subsidies are propping up the cruel and destructive factory farming industry.

According to the report “Subsidising factory farm harm”, agriculture receives among the highest levels of public financial support worldwide — second only to fossil fuels. Yet most of this money is reinforcing intensive animal production, a system responsible for vast animal suffering, greenhouse gas emissions, and deforestation.

Read the report

Factory farms pollute our climate, destroy biodiversity, and put animals through immense suffering,” said Kelly Dent, Global Director of External Engagement at World Animal Protection. “The future is in fair farms, not factory farms.

A Broken System Subsidised by the Public

In the European Union, over 80% of agricultural subsidies — around $88.5 billion USD per year — go to industrial farming. Yet plant-based foods, which make up nearly two-thirds of the calories Europeans consume, receive less than a fifth of that support.

Similar patterns appear across other major economies. China, the United States, India, and the EU together account for nearly 80% of all agricultural subsidies, fueling global demand for beef and soy, two of the key drivers of deforestation in South America.

In Brazil, the host country of COP30, government subsidies to the beef sector average $3.1 billion USD per year, even as the industry contributes heavily to the destruction of the Amazon and Cerrado ecosystems.

For a deeper look at how these harmful systems affect both wildlife and the planet, explore our work on habitat loss and deforestation.

The Cost to Animals, People, and Planet

Industrial animal agriculture confines 76 billion animals each year in barren, overcrowded facilities. The sector drives 34% of global greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for 15% of global fossil fuel use.

If nothing changes, agriculture could generate more than half of all global emissions by 2050 — locking us into an unsustainable and cruel food system.

By funnelling public funds into factory farms, governments also undermine small-scale farmers, distort markets, and increase inequality — while consumers continue to pay twice: once through their taxes, and again at the checkout. Learn more about our vision for a humane, sustainable future through our Food Systems campaign.

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A Path Forward

Redirecting even half of current industrial agriculture subsidies toward sustainable, plant-based, and humane food systems could have transformative effects.

In the EU alone, this would save 25.9 million megalitres of water and free 19.4 million hectares of land — twice the size of Portugal.

In Brazil, similar changes could save 14.5 million megalitres of water and free 11.6 million hectares of land, roughly the size of Cuba.

World Animal Protection is calling on governments attending COP30 to make subsidy reform a cornerstone of their climate commitments, ensuring that public money works for animals, people, and the planet — not against them.

You can also help change the way the world works by supporting campaigns like Stop Investing in Factory Farms, which challenge banks and investors to fund a fairer, more sustainable food future.

Learn More & Take Action

Together, we can create a world where animals live free from cruelty and suffering.

Donate to support our work and help us move the world to protect animals.
Eat less meat, advocate for animal welfare, and choose more plant-based foods — every choice counts.
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