{"id":117420,"date":"2025-03-25T15:34:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/?p=117420"},"modified":"2025-03-25T15:34:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:34:09","slug":"powerful-photos-reveal-the-hidden-costs-of-factory-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/en_gb\/powerful-photos-reveal-the-hidden-costs-of-factory-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerful Photos Reveal the Hidden Costs of Factory Farming"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRUSSELS, 24 March 2025<\/i><\/b> \u2013 <\/span>It\u2019s too easy to fool ourselves when we think about where our food comes from. Say the word \u201cfarm\u201d and the average person may think of open fields, animals roaming freely, and harmony between nature and agriculture.<\/b><\/p>\n

But the reality is starkly different for millions of animals across Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

To uncover the true face of intensive farming, the European Institute for Animal Law and Policy and the European Environmental Bureau today launched a compelling photography exhibition at the European Parliament, <\/span>\u201cFactory Farming: Unveiling the Hidden Costs\u201d<\/span><\/i> (24-27 March 2025).<\/span><\/p>\n

Hosted by MEPs Tilly Metz (Greens\/EFA), Manuela Ripa (EPP), Krzysztof \u015amiszek (S&D), Michal Wiezik (Renew), and Anja Hazekamp (GUE\/NGL), the exhibition showcases powerful images capturing the stark realities of industrial-scale animal agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n

From animals\u2019 extreme confinement to environmental devastation and the neglect of rural communities, these works from 12 photojournalists across 13 EU countries including the award-winning Jo-Anne McArthur \u2013 who is guest speaker at the exhibition\u2019s launch event \u2013 reveal the true cost of factory farming on animals, human health, and ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alongside the images, eye-opening infographics offer data-driven insights into the scale of these problems and the urgent need for a transition towards a more ethical agricultural model that works in harmony with nature – not against it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Olga Kikou<\/b>, Director of Advocacy at The European Institute of Animal Law & Policy and one of the organizers of the \u2018End the Cage Age\u2019 European Citizens\u2019 Initiative:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“In factory farms, animals are turned into production machines. Being forced to live in high concentrations in unnatural social groups leads to behavioural problems and the spread of disease. Animals have no contact with the outdoors, are fed human-edible crops and are often sick. The physiological and psychological issues stemming from these systems lead the industry to adopt ‘quick fixes’, such as cages or mutilations. We urge policy makers to act against the immense cruelty pervasive in EU farming.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Isabel Paliotta<\/b>, Policy Officer for Sustainable Food Systems at EEB:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs this exhibition illustrates, we’re sold a myth about animal farming in Europe. Today’s industrialised model of animal rearing not only imposes needless suffering on billions of animals – it is also wreaking havoc on our ecosystems and rolling the dice with public health. We need this Commission to deliver a concrete strategy to support farmers towards a just system that works for them, while ensuring high animal welfare standards, and protecting neighbouring communities and nature.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In her speech,<\/span> Jo-Anne McArthur <\/b>said<\/span>:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThese images and stories are where they need to be: before the change makers. Photojournalists and policy makers have always had strong partnerships. We are seeing that here today, for animals.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople in the EU demand change. These photographs are proof of the inherent cruelty in factory farming, and I hope that, coupled with our partners at the EU, the urgent change that animals need will begin in earnest.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We were delighted that a number of MEPs<\/strong> also spoke at the launch today, including those below, as well as Krzysztof Smiszek and Sebastian Everding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Manuela Ripa:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers care for their animals and want better conditions for them. That is why we should empower farmers to improve animal welfare and ensure that such practices are properly funded. We need animal welfare also for our own health and the health of this planet\u201d.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Michal Wiezik:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThis exhibition is really hard to watch, but it\u2019s really important to have an opportunity to dive into the pictures because these are the standards we have in Europe for factory farming. There\u2019s a good reason they keep this reality hidden from us. This suffering is unacceptable. Millions of animals are suffering and as soon as you witness the cruelty, it\u2019s the heart, the soul and the common sense that suffer\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tilly Metz:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about the water we drink. The soils we need to plant our fruits and vegetables. The air we breathe. It\u2019s about the people who live close to these factories and work beside them. It\u2019s about our own health and the health of everyone around us. This is about compassion, about ethics, about the livability of this planet for future generations.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Niels Fuglsang:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cFactory farming considers animals as things so that we can buy as much meat and cheese as possible as cheaply as possible. We\u2019ve been promised the End the Cage Age by the European Commission and it needs to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Marc Angel:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cFactory farming is a failure of our society\u201d.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is not just an exhibition; it\u2019s a call to action for a more ethical future.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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  • European Parliament, Spinelli Floor 3, Distribution Area, 24th-27th March 2025<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    • Launch event on Tuesday 25th March at 13:00<\/span><\/i><\/i>\n\t\t\t