Factory farming costs taxpayer £1bn a year

THE factory farming of animals costs taxpayers almost £1billion a year, a study has found.

- KATLE HARRIS

Researchers said rearing vast numbers of chickens and pigs intensively indoors has failed to make food cheaper or increase its security.

Large-scale operations have replaced many smaller family farms in recent years. These operations impose significant costs to the environment and public health, and destroy thousands of farming jobs, says a report.

The study for the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation looked at pig and chicken farms and estimated that they cost £518m in environmental pollution, £92m in public health issues and £333m in lost farming jobs.

That total comes to £943million.

Stark

CAWF makes a series of recommendations including calling for new mega-farm facilities to be blocked.

It also wants mandatory labels on factory-farmed products.