Oregon values the animals in our food system and treats them with respect and compassion but factory farms are inherently harmful to animals.

Oregon has progressive, humane values. Yet farmed animals, especially in industrial-scale settings, still suffer immensely. In order to economize production for maximum profits, birth, life, and death for animals in factory farms is agony.

At factory farms, many animals are kept in crowded conditions or extreme confinement. Cows used for milk typically spend most of their lives indoors without access to pasture until they are eventually killed because they are “unproductive.” Their bodies begin shutting down at just a quarter of a cow’s natural life span as a result of the significant physical and emotional toll of constant pregnancy, lactation, and unnatural conditions. Chickens raised for meat are generally confined in ammonia-filled sheds on waste-soaked litter, which often leads to ulcerated feet, feather loss, blisters, and more. Bred to grow to market weight unnaturally fast, they can also suffer from debilitating leg disorders and impaired locomotion. Extreme confinement and poor welfare conditions do not align with Oregon’s humane values.

Take action to stop the harm to animals in factory farms. It’s time for a factory farm moratorium in Oregon.