
Farm animals

Since at least the 1960s there has been increasing awareness of the effects of intensive farm animal production on animal welfare. One of the events that opened the eyes of a great many people was the publication of the book 'Animal Machines: The New Factory Farming Industry' by Ruth Harrison in 1964. In the book Harrison describes some of the practices of modern animal production, such as keeping laying hens in small cages, the tethering of gestating sows, and keeping bull-calves one-by-one in small crates.
"Life in the factory farm," she wrote, "revolves entirely around profits, and animals are accessed purely for their ability to convert feed into flesh or 'saleable products'." However, even though many people seem to agree with this, the consumption of meat and other animal products is still on the rise, not only in the West but even more dramatically in countries like India and China. Thus, ethical issues concerning the way farm animals are being treated will not go away.
Below you will find a variety of publications about farm animal ethics and welfare. They are also sorted within the categories listed in the left menu bar.
You can also search among all publications on the site here:


Various ways towards animal product limiting - practical and social engagements in dietary change

Multidimensional sustainability assessment of pig production systems at herd level – The case of Denmark

Danish milk consumers are critical of advanced breeding methods in dairy production

Market driven initiatives can improve broiler welfare – A comparison across five European countries

Positive animal welfare: Bridging the gap or raising inequalities worldwide?

Hornless cattle – is gene editing the best solution?

Danish Dairy Farmers' Acceptance of and Willingness to Use Semen from Bulls Produced by Means of in Vitro Embryo Production and Genomic Selection

For the Sake of Production—And the Animal, and Me. How Students at Danish Agricultural Colleges Perceive AnimalWelfare
