A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is a system of farming which concentrates a large number of animals into a small space for maximum efficiency. Examples of CAFOs include large-scale hog farms, veal calve raising operations, egg production facilities, and other similar “factory farms.” Advocates for the CAFO system argue that it is highly efficient and relatively low cost, while opponents question how humane it is, and also raise environmental concerns about CAFO practices. With a growing consumer awareness about the sources of our food, many people have become interested in CAFOs, and are curious to learn more.

The concept of concentrating a large number of animals in a central location for food production is quite old, but it was only in the latter half of the twentieth century that the technique began to be refined. A shrinking number of family farms contributed to the rise of the CAFO, as did heavy consolidation of meat production in the hands of several major companies. The actual number of CAFOs is on the decline, but each individual CAFO has more animals than ever before. Animals are often shipped to a CAFO from multiple locations for raising, and then shipped out en masse to centralized slaughter and packaging facilities.

Although a CAFO is more efficient on the surface than a small scale or family farm, concerns have been raised about the hidden costs of running a CAFO, starting with the environmental impacts. Large amounts of animals generate large amounts of manure, which must be disposed of. The most common technique is to create a sewage lagoon, but these lagoons can rupture, spilling raw sewage into rivers, groundwater, and the earth. Because of the heavy grain diet that animals in a CAFO eat, leading to intestinal imbalances, combined with large amounts of prophylactic drugs, this manure is heavily contaminated with drug resistant bacteria, as well as hormones which can alter wildlife exposed to it. Fish kills and other serious environmental problems have been linked to CAFOs, especially in the Southern United States.

The animal rights movement has also attempted to educate consumers about the CAFO system, because they believe that it is harmful to animals. Animals raised in a CAFO spend their entire lives indoors, often closely packed with other animals. Food and water is provided in large automated troughs, and their foods lack nutritional variety, which is crucial to health. Because of the confined conditions in a CAFO, animals are more subject to diseases and behavioral problems, and they live short, stressful lives.

In the United States, many organizations and companies began pushing for reforms in the 1990s, in response to consumer concerns. Many states regulate CAFOs much more heavily than they used to, and government organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, United States Department of Argriculture, and Food and Drug Administration keep a close eye on CAFOs. The legislature has also introduced measures to address the problems with CAFOs, and trying to find a workable way to use the efficient, centralized system without causing environmental damage.