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A YEAR OF PROGRESS, PRESSURE AND NEW BATTLES FOR FARMED ANIMALS
Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has released its Winter edition of Farm Animal Voice, offering a sweeping review of the organisation’s wins, warnings and worldwide campaigns. The magazine paints a picture of an animal-welfare movement gathering momentum internationally while sounding the alarm on deepening threats from factory farming, live exports and emerging industries such as octopus farming.
GLOBAL HEADLINES: A SHIFTING LANDSCAPE FOR ANIMAL WELFARE
Regenerative Farming Takes Centre Stage
A new book, Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets, calls for a global departure from industrial agriculture and a shift toward plant-rich diets. Drawing on last year’s Extinction or Regeneration Conference, the publication provides pathways for policymakers to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and the health crisis linked to global food systems.
UK Approves Cultivated Meat for Pet Food
The UK has become the first European nation to approve lab-grown chicken for dog food. Produced by the biotech company Meatly, the cultured product is seen as a positive stride toward reducing pressure on animals and the environment.
Supermarkets Accused Over Antibiotic Misuse
A new report from the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics—co-founded by CIWF—reveals that many supermarket supply chains are still failing to enforce legislation restricting routine antibiotic use in farming. Imported foods, including meat and dairy, escape scrutiny entirely.
Public Demands Clearer Labelling
A Savanta poll found that 66% of the British public supports mandatory labelling on meat and dairy to show how animals were raised. Three-quarters of respondents also want stronger protections for farmed fish, echoing European-wide trends.
LIVE EXPORTS: THE FIGHT GOES GLOBAL
Following the landmark ban on live exports from Great Britain, CIWF is now mobilising international pressure to end the practice worldwide. Investigations with We Animals Media uncovered severe suffering among calves shipped 2,500 miles from Hawai‘i to California—many left unfed for more than 27 hours in breach of animal-welfare law.
CIWF is pressing the EU Commission, ferry companies and global governments to halt the live trade. Momentum is building: New Zealand has banned sea exports, Germany is restricting shipments beyond EU borders, and Australia is preparing to phase out live sheep exports to the Middle East.
UK FACTORY FARMING: POLLUTION, PLANNING AND PUBLIC OUTRAGE
CIWF’s latest investigation exposes the scale of intensive farming across the UK, with more than one billion animals raised indoors each year. Norfolk is identified as a hotspot, with over 25 million intensively farmed animals in the county alone.
The environmental fallout is stark:
- 33,456 tonnes of manure are produced annually by UK megafarms
- Nutrient overloads are causing algal blooms in rivers
- The River Wye is nearing “ecological collapse”
- New housing is unable to proceed in the affected regions due to pollution limits
CIWF is urging the government to overhaul planning rules so local authorities can reject new factory-farm applications.
THE CAGE AGE: PRESSURE MOUNTS IN THE UK AND EUROPE
UK: 8 Million Hens Still in Cages
Despite progress from major retailers, one in five UK eggs still comes from caged hens. CIWF is calling for:
- A ban on new cage installations by 2025
- Complete phase-out by 2028
Over 25,000 supporters have already written to Defra urging immediate consultation. Major brands, including Greggs, M&S, Co-op and Waitrose, have publicly backed a ban.
Europe: Legal and Political Showdown
CIWF and its partners have launched a landmark legal case at the EU Court of Justice, following the European Commission’s failure to deliver promised legislation to end cages by 2023. Meanwhile, over 440 companies across Europe have adopted cage-free commitments, but the political delay risks stalling progress.
INVESTIGATION: EUROPE’S SECRETIVE RABBIT INDUSTRY
A new CIWF exposé of rabbit farms in Italy and Poland reveals animals confined in crowded wire cages, many injured, stressed and deprived of natural behaviours. Rabbits remain one of Europe’s most intensively caged species, with producers often reluctant to allow access or transparency. CIWF is pushing for EU-wide reform.
THE NEXT FRONTIER: OCTOPUS FARMING UNDER FIRE
Spain is preparing to open the world’s first commercial octopus farm in the Canary Islands, potentially confining one million octopuses a year despite having no welfare protections.
Experts warn that octopuses are:
- Highly intelligent
- Solitary
- Carnivorous
- Easily stressed
- Unsuitable for confinement
The environmental toll would also be significant, requiring huge volumes of wild fish for feed. CIWF has joined more than 75 NGOs calling for an immediate ban, while the US Congress is considering a nationwide prohibition on octopus farming.
AWARDS & POSITIVE PROGRESS: 500 MILLION ANIMALS SET TO BENEFIT
The 2024 Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards, held in Paris and hosted by Deborah Meaden, recognised 49 companies that have made measurable commitments to improving animal welfare. Their policies will benefit more than 500 million animals annually.
Winners included:
- Barilla and Carrefour for cage-free transitions
- Thai and Dutch producers eliminating sow stalls and improving pig welfare
- Waitrose for regenerative farming leadership
- White Oak Pastures (USA) for ecological transformation
SPECIAL REPORT: PALM OIL, FACTORY FARMING AND ELEPHANT EXTINCTION
CIWF CEO Philip Lymbery reports from Sumatra on how palm kernel used for livestock feed is helping drive the Sumatran elephant toward extinction. Vast monoculture estates, illegal burning and habitat destruction have forced elephants into villages and sparked conflict. Villagers protesting land grabs have been imprisoned.
Lymbery argues that consumer choices—including dairy and meat linked to palm-derived feed—are directly shaping wildlife survival.
INTERVIEW: DR AMIR KHAN ON HEALTH, PANDEMICS AND ANIMAL WELFARE
The NHS GP and CIWF Patron warns that industrial farming fuels:
- Antibiotic resistance
- Viral spillover risks
- Soil and ecosystem collapse
- Air pollution impacts human health
He advocates a diet rich in whole plants, noting its benefits for diabetes, heart health, gut wellbeing and longevity.
COMMUNITY & CAMPAIGNING
Local CIWF volunteer groups have held fundraising events from Brighton to Norfolk to Canterbury. Supporters have completed marathons, organised bake sales, hosted fairs and raised thousands for CIWF’s campaigns.
The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Trust also marks its 25th year releasing a charity Christmas card, helping support CIWF’s welfare work.
CONCLUSION: A MOVEMENT GATHERING FORCE
The Winter edition of Farm Animal Voice makes one theme clear: the battle against factory farming is intensifying. With decisive wins such as the UK’s live-export ban, widespread corporate shifts toward cage-free policies, and spiralling public concern over welfare and transparency, the tide is turning.
But CIWF also warns that without urgent political action—both in Westminster and Brussels—animals will continue to suffer behind closed doors. The coming year, they say, will be decisive.
