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Pig trapped in flooded factory farm

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United States: Five million chicken deaths expose climate vulnerability

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene struck the east coast. With winds of over 140 miles per hour, it was the most powerful hurricane ever to strike Florida’s Big Bend region. More than 230 people were killed and 2 million were left without power. The storm displaced more than 375,000 people, causing an estimated $78 billion in damage.

More than six million acres of agricultural lands were affected, with an estimated 96,871 farms in the region. There were significant losses, particularly in Georgia.

Georgia is the country’s biggest chicken-producing state, slaughtering 1.3 billion chickens annually. According to local reports, Hurricane Helene destroyed at least 165 poultry houses, causing damage to another 500. With approximately 30,000 birds in each unit, this equates to an estimated five million birds killed in just one state.

Image credit: Getty Images

Abused chickens crowded together in a factory farm

Brazil: Tackling the turbulent rivers of climate change

As one of the main producers of livestock and crops for animal feed, such as soy and corn, Brazil plays a leading role in the global food system.

In early 2024, extreme flooding in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul left a trail of devastation, displacing communities, destroying infrastructure, and leading to the death of over a million farmed animals. The floods severely disrupted food production and rural livelihoods, highlighting the fragility of intensive agricultural systems in the face of escalating climate impacts.

As Brazil continues to expand industrial livestock and feed production, this case underscores the urgent need to shift away from intensive animal farming and towards a more resilient food system—one that can withstand climate shocks while protecting people, animals, and the environment.

Image credit: We Animals Media

Wet muddy cattle standing in flooded factory farm lot

Poland: Killer heat wave highlights factory farming weaknesses

In the summer of 2023, Poland experienced an intense heat wave. This was part of a series of extreme temperature events across Europe attributed to climate change, which caused more than 47,000 deaths across the continent.

Animal farming in Poland, dominated by industrial scale operations, is significantly impacted by climate change, implying notable risks in animal welfare. The repeated drought led to reduced access to both water and feed.

Maintaining appropriate temperatures in industrial animal agriculture is a significant issue. In July 2023, 1,000 pigs at a farm in Bydgoszcz, central Poland, died when the ventilation system failed. The pigs suffocated after an error in the system meant that oxygen was not filtered into the unit, and the intense heat placed extra strain on the cooling system.

Image credit: Getty Images

Frightened pigs crowded together in cage

Italy: Factory farmed animals left to die in flood disaster

In May 2023, the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy experienced unprecedented rain that led to severe flooding and landslides. Research suggests that the region’s flood risk is changing due to climate change and uncontrolled urbanization. Italy is one of Europe’s climate risk hotspots.

Emilia-Romagna is a major animal farming region, producing Parmigiano cheese and Parma ham. The flooding had a severe impact on farmed animals, the majority of whom are confined in factory farms. Workers evacuated, and the animals were left trapped in cages and sheds as water levels rose—or were crushed by landslides. More than 5,000 farms were submerged in water and approximately 250,000 cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, along with around 400 poultry farms and 45,000 beehives were impacted.

In San Lorenzo, more than 60,000 hens died as the sheds flooded. In Bertinoro, an industrial unit holding thousands of pigs was flooded; witnesses saw piles of hundreds of dead pigs. At another in Bagnacavallo, pigs were swimming inside and outside the pens.

Image credit: We Animals Media

Pigs in a flooded factory farm

Header image: We Animals Media

 

Compassion In World Farming

Compassion campaigns peacefully on a global level to end all cruel factory farming practices. We believe that the biggest cause of cruelty on the planet deserves a focused, specialized approach—so we only work on farmed animal welfare.

Our vision is a world where farmed animals are treated with compassion and respect.

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