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PEW Report Outlines Changes for "Industrial Farms"
By Marlys Miller

The long awaited report from the PEW Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production came out this week, although there should be few surprises as the commission held multiple congressional briefings providing glimpses of what would be the final release. The report was 2.5 years in the making, and the commission's conclusion is that "industrial farms" raising animal for food require "a far-reaching overhaul."

The study was a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The commission studied various aspect of what the commission called "industrial farm systems."

 Among the areas that the commission focused on include:

• Environmental and waste issues
• Animal well-being
• Antibiotic usage
• Disease spread between people and animals
• Impact on the rural community

Just as the commission harshly questions some of the industry's actions, it seems equally justifiable to question the commission's objectives for the project. As one commissioner said, "We're not trying to turn back time, and raise animals the way we used to."

However, the report suggests otherwise. Among the recommendations is to phase out the most inhumane production practices within 10 years; implement federal performance-based standards to improve animal welfare; and expand and reform animal agriculture research. Antibiotic use also met with significant criticism and suggestions.

To read the full report, click here.