Meat Industry Executive Says UK Megafarms ‘Aren’t Particularly Big’

Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, believes that UK megafarms, which are currently valued at £12 billion, are not particularly large compared to those in the US, South America, and China. He argues that larger farms are more efficient and consistent in terms of animal welfare standards, and that the UK has some of the highest standards globally. However, recent incidents such as an abattoir being fined for obstructing hygiene inspections and a pig farm suspending operations due to animal cruelty have raised concerns.

Plans for a new megafarm in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, were blocked by councillors over environmental and climate change concerns. The proposed farm would have been the largest in Europe, rearing nearly 900,000 chickens and pigs. Despite objections, the UK has seen a 20 percent increase in US-style megafarms for chickens and pigs since 2016, with over 85 percent of farmed animals in Britain raised in factory farms. Factory farming has negative impacts on the climate crisis, the environment, health, and animal welfare, costing taxpayers over £1.2 billion annually in subsidies.