Animal production in the UK is beginning to follow the same large-scale industrial path as the US, says our policy manager Emma Hockridge. The past year has seen the possibility of giant scale factory farms entering the UK for the first time. We, along with other NGOs have been fighting against this frightening development. A proposed 'mega dairy' in Nocton has been rumbling through the planning system, and now (as we report on page 6) a proposal has been made for a pig factory in the Midlands whichwould house 2,500 sows and 20,000 piglets. We are in danger of the creeping large scale intensification of the UK livestock industry. The film Food, Inc highlighted the terrifying way that factory farming has become commonplace in the US, to the detriment of small family farms, animal welfare and the environment. And while currently the UK's farming system is not quite as far down that path as the US, we must fight to ensure that we do not end up with the same situation here.
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