Beyond Factory Farming

A fairly new term that combines agriculture and business. In the past, agriculture has been treated as something completely separate from other types of business. Over the past 50 years, factory farm companies have been replacing traditional agriculture, so now we need new words and new ways of thinking about agriculture to describe where our food comes from.

For federal lands, an animal unit represents one mature cow, bull, steer, heifer, horse, mule, or five sheep, or five goats, 5 feeder pigs, 100 chicken breeders, 100 turkey broilers, and 1 bison. Each province has its own definition of an "animal unit" for regulatory purposes.

Medicines created using microbes or fungi that are weakened and taken into the body to destroy harmful bacteria.

Male pig.

A chicken raised for its meat. Typically weighs around 2kg.

Birds are raised without cages. What this doesn’t explain is if the birds were raised outdoors on pasture, if they had access to outside, or if they were raised indoors in overcrowded conditions. If you are looking to buy eggs, poultry or meat that was raised outdoors, look for a label that says “Pastured” or “Pasture-raised”.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The agency's mission is to safeguard food, animals and plants, which enhance the health and well-being of Canada’s people, environment and economy.

Circovirus is a type of wasting disease that is being referred to as the hog industry’s version of BSE (Mad Cow disease). Affected hogs display signs of anorexia, rapid weight loss, skin discoloration, respiratory problems, and diarrhea. It is a deadly disease that affects young hogs during the grower phase.

The Ontario government enacted the Clean Water Act on July 3, 2007. The objective of the Clean Water Act is to protect municipal drinking water through a collaborative and locally driven multi-stakeholder process. So far, Ontario has been the only province to develop a CWA.

Farmer who makes an agreement with an agribusiness company, giving the company the power to make all the farm's decisions, including which animals are raised there, what they are fed, and how they are treated. In return the company pays the farmer and buys the supplies.

Small-scale processing that takes place in a home-based industry

Crops that are grown not to be harvested for food but to cover and protect soil surface and prevent soil erosion.

Abbreviation for Community Supported Agriculture, a system in which consumers support a local farm by paying in advance for agricultural products. This reduces the financial risks for the farmer because the costs of seeds and planting crops are covered in advance by consumers. Throughout the growing season, CSA members receive a portion of the farm's harvest each week. Members share the financial risks and the bounty of the harvest - if it is a successful growing season, they receive a lot of food; if there are fewer crops, they receive less. Members are also encouraged to visit the farm and some even volunteer there.

Debeaking, also called beak trimming is the partial removal of the beak of poultry, especially chickens and turkeys. Most commonly, the beak is shortened permanently, although regrowth can occur.

Distillers grains is a cereal byproduct of the distillation process.

There are two main sources of these grains. The traditional sources were from brewers. More recently, fuel ethanol production is a growing source. It is created in distilleries by drying mash, and is subsequently sold for a variety of purposes, usually as fodder for livestock (especially ruminants).

Animals that collapse during transportation or at the slaughterhouse, too stressed or sick to continue walking. Because normal animals fetch a higher price at the market, downers are frequently kicked or prodded in attempts to force them to move. Those that do not move may be left on the ground without food or water for days before they die. Downers may be processed for human consumption.

A species of bacteria that lives in the intestines of people and other vertebrates (animals with spines). Although the bacteria that naturally exist in your intestines are harmless and helpful in digestion, eating or drinking E. coli that comes from outside, such as in polluted water or meat that has not been processed safely, can cause severe food poisoning or even death.

The study of the interactions of organisms in their environment

Liquid waste, often from a factory or sewer. This is a term that is often used to refer to the urine and manure that is pumped into or out of a lagoon.

A cost or benefit of a product or service that is not included in its price. For instance, a negative externality of a factory farm is the enormous amount of pollution it generates; although the pollution increases health care costs and necessitates expensive cleanup efforts, these costs are not paid by the consumers who purchase food produced by these farms or by the owners of the factory farms. Instead, the costs are borne by society. On the other hand, a positive externality of a sustainable farm is the preservation of unpolluted, undeveloped green space; although society enjoys the benefits of these areas (preservation of biodiversity, protection of clean water, aesthetic appeal, etc.), no one provides compensation to the farmers who maintain the land.

A large-scale industrial site where many animals (generally chickens, turkeys, cattle, or pigs) are confined and may be treated with hormones and antibiotics to maximize growth and prevent disease. The animals produce much more waste than the surrounding land can handle. These operations are associated with various environmental hazards as well as cruelty to animals. The government calls these facilities Concentrated (or Confined) Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), Confined Feeding Operations (CFOs), or Intensive Livestock Operations (ILO). Visit our Industrial vs Susutainable page for more information.

A Farm Gate Sale is a transaction that takes place right at the farm. This means that you actually meet the person who grows your food, and you get freshest produce possible. Long distance food tends to lose nutrients over travel time and the varieties grown are selected for their uniformity and durability instead of good taste.

Buying directly from the farm not only provides you with tasty, fresh food but also puts money directly into the local economy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and packaging, and provides a more nutritious meal for the family. Buying from a neighboring farm also allows good relationships to develop between growers and consumers.

The process through which an animal gains weight prior to slaughter. On factory farms, animals are generally finished on a pure grain-based diet, which induces rapid weight gain and creates the "marbled" layers of fat in beef to which consumers are accustomed. However, cows and other ruminants are naturally adapted to eat grasses; large quantities of grain cause them to develop high levels of acidity within their digestive tracts, leading to a number of health problems. Sustainably-raised animals are finished on pasture, where they consume the grasses and other plants that their bodies are best adapted to digest. Research has shown that meat and dairy products from grass-fed animals are better for human health than foods from grain fed animals. Note: Grass-fed, grain-supplemented animals are also raised on pasture, but are given access to controlled amounts of grain during the finishing period and do not encounter the health problems that animals fed a pure grain diet can face.

Fodder or animal feed is any foodstuff that is used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them), rather than that which they forage for themselves. It includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils and mixed rations, and also sprouted grains and legumes.

A term originally coined by members of Via Campesina in 1996 to refer to a policy framework advocated by a number of farmers', peasants', pastoralists', fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples', womens', rural youth and environmental organizations, namely the claimed "right of peoples to define their own food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries systems," in contrast to having food largely subject to international market forces.

Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to:

• define their own food and agriculture;
• to protect and regulate domestic agricultural production and trade in order to achieve sustainable development objectives;
• to determine the extent to which they want to be self reliant;
• to restrict the dumping of products in their markets, and;
• to provide local fisheries-based communities the priority in managing the use of and the rights to aquatic resources.

This term refers to animals that are not confined, meaning that these animals are able to go outdoors to engage in natural behaviors. It does not necessarily mean that the products are cruelty-free or antibiotic-free, or that the animals spend the majority of their time outdoors. This is not a term that is certifiable so the consumer needs to be aware.

This is a plant or animal that has been genetically engineered. Many industries support the development and use of GMOs while many consumers and organizations question their safety and have called for adequate and independent testing of GMO products. It is legal for farmers in Canada, the U.S. and some other countries like Argentina to produce and sell certain GMOs for human and animal consumption, but in other places like Europe and Japan, they are banned until further testing can be done to prove they are safe.

Alternative food distribution system that provides a variety of top quality, fresh, nutritious food at an affordable price. Individuals place an order for boxes of fruits and vegetable and are delivered to a central location for customers to pick up. The contents of the boxes can change depending on what is in season.

The animal was raised on a diet of grain and the grain could be supplemented with animal byproducts and other miscellaneous matter. Since mad cow disease is thought to be transmitted through animal byproducts added to cattle feed, cows raised on a strictly vegetarian diet are preferred by many consumers. However, unless the label says “100 Percent Vegetarian Diet there is no guarantee that the animal’s feed was not supplemented with animal byproducts. In addition, cattle are ruminants and eat grass; they cannot digest grains properly and can become sick if fed a diet of only grain. Although large-scale, confined grain feedlots enable industrial meat producers to fatten their animals quickly, they also foster disease within the cattle population, creating the need for antibiotics and increasing the risk of E. Coli.

Animals graze on pasture and eat grasses. They should not be supplemented with grain, animal by-products, synthetic hormones, or be given antibiotics to promote growth or prevent disease (though they might be given antibiotics to treat disease). This is the same as pastured or pasture raised.

Heritage foods are derived from rare and endangered breeds of livestock and crops. Animals are purebreds and are a specific breed of animal that is near extinction. Production standards are not required by law, but true heritage farmers use sustainable production methods. This method of production saves animals from extinction and preserves genetic diversity.

Chemicals found naturally in animals' bodies that control processes like growth and metabolism. Synthetic (man-made) hormones have been developed for a number of purposes, including treatment of hormonal disorders in people, and also for promotion of unnaturally fast growth in farm animals. One of the most well-known and controversial hormones used in farming is recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone or rBGH, which is genetically engineered and injected into dairy cattle. rBGH is not permitted for use in Canada. Scientists have linked excess hormones to cancer.

Farm on which the ownership and management are controlled by at least one family member who lives on the farm, not by a corporation or absentee owner.

Natural pest control methods, such as habitat manipulation, biological control, and pest-resistant plants, are used to eliminate pest problems. Pesticides are used in the smallest possible amounts only when other techniques prove inadequate.

Hen (female chicken) raised to lay eggs.

The term used to refer (singularly or plurally) to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to make produce such as food or fibre, or for its labour. The term generally does not include poultry or farmed fish.

Common name for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a cattle disease that causes the brain to waste away. It takes about 4-7 years for cattle to show symptoms of the disease after being exposed to it, but once symptoms become visible the cattle die within weeks. One way this disease is spread is by feeding the meat from infected cattle to other cattle (meat from infected sheep may also cause the disease). This was a common practice on factory farms until the 1980s and 1990s when it was outlawed in most countries because it was found to cause BSE. At that time, thousands of cattle believed to have been exposed to BSE were killed to prevent further spread of the disease. Consuming beef from infected cattle causes a brain-wasting disease called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans.

In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain and water, known as wort (typically malted barley with supplementary grains as corn, sorghum, rye or wheat

The organism Staphylococcus aureus is found on many individuals skin and seems to cause no major problems. However if it gets inside the body, for instance under the skin or into the lungs, it can cause important infections such as boils or pneumonia. Individuals who carry this organism are usually totally healthy, have no problems whatever and are considered simply to be carriers of the organism.

The term MRSA or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is used to describe those examples of this organism that are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Methicillin was an antibiotic used many years ago to treat patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections. It is now no longer used except as a means of identifying this particular type of antibiotic resistance.

A slaughterhouse in a trailer that can be moved from one farm to another in order to accommodate small farmers and ranchers. The units drastically reduce the stress animals endure from being transported long distances. In many places in Canada, mobile meat processing units are not allowed because of regulations.

Monoculture is the destruction of a diverse ecosystem and replacement with a single species or crop. This is common practice in modern agriculture, where large acreages of crops are grown for sale to other regions or countries. Monocultures deplete the soil, and fruits and vegetables become more susceptible to pests and disease than those grown in a diverse crop environment, thus requiring larger amounts of chemical sprays.

The use of “natural” on labels is a much looser term than the use of the term “organic.” There’s no single set of requirements for products claiming to be natural. Farmers or food companies that use the “natural” label are not subject to inspections as a condition of using the label. You just have to take their word for it. However, “natural” foods are not necessarily sustainable, organic, humanely raised, or free of hormones and antibiotics. Again, knowing where your food comes from is definitely a benefit.

Nipah virus is a newly recognized zoonotic virus. The virus was 'discovered' in 1999. It has caused disease in animals and in humans, through contact with infectious animals. The mode of transmission from animal to animal, and from animal to human is uncertain, but appears to require close contact with contaminated tissue or body fluids from infected animals. Nipah antibodies have been detected in pigs, other domestic and wild animals.

No antibiotics were administered to the animal during its lifetime. If an animal becomes sick, it will be taken out of the herd and treated but it will not be sold with this label.

The practice of planting new crops amidst cuttings of old crops and not plowing the field in order to slow the release of carbon dioxide and diminish the greenhouse effect. No-till and low-till practices also increase the retention of water and nutrients, allowing earthworms and other organisms to proliferate and keep the soil healthy.

Antibiotics administered to animals for purposes other than the treatment of existing illness. Factory farms routinely administer non-therapeutic antibiotics to their animals in order to boost growth rates and to prevent the outbreak of diseases which would otherwise run rampant within crowded, unsanitary facilities. The use of non-therapeutic antibiotics promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, causing antibiotics used to treat humans to become less effective.

More than 500 representatives from more than 80 countries, of organizations of peasants/family farmers, artisanal fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, landless peoples, rural workers, migrants, pastoralists, forest communities, women, youth, consumers and environmental and urban movements gathered together in the village of Nyéléni in Sélingué, Mali to strengthen a global movement for food sovereignty. For more information go to Nyéléni 2007.

The organic label is earned through a certification process, and it means the producer adhered to a strict set of rules and procedures. Inspectors verify the methods of production of all organic products. In Canada, these standards are:

• No use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers in the growing of the animals’ feed;
• No use of genetically modified organisms; No use of growth hormones;
• No use of drugs (such as antibiotics);
• No use of animal by-products for feed;
• Treating animals humanely (i.e. they have outside access at all times);
• Inspections by an independent certification body occur on a regular basis;
• All records are kept for at least 5 years;
• Strict Canadian and International standards are met. Meat may not be truly organic unless the meat has been certified by an independent agency that has the authority to certify pursuant to the Standard for Organic Agriculture (CAN/CGSB-32.310) ratified by the Standards Council of Canada.

Foods may also be labeled “100 percent organic,” “organic” (95 to 99 per cent organic), “made with organic ingredients” (74 to 94 per cent organic), or, for organic content of lesser amount, the specific organic ingredients may be listed.

An epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through human populations across a large region, for example a continent, or even worldwide.

Micro-organisms that cause disease.

Any substance that causes harm to the environment when it mixes with soil, water, or air.

A viral disease in swine that exists in most parts of the world. It is caused by porcine herpesvirus 1, which is also called pseudorabies virus (PRV) or suid herpesvirus-1 (SHV-1) and is also known as Aujeszky's disease, and in cattle as mad itch. PRV is considered to be the most economically important viral disease of swine in areas where hog cholera has been eradicated.

A proportional share, as of goods, assigned to a group or to each member of a group; an allotment. In the case of certain agricultural products in Canada, a farmer may purchase a quota which allows him to produce a certain amount of the product. This is one way that prices are kept high.

Antibiotics were not given to the animal to promote growth or to prevent disease, but may have been administered if the animal became ill.

rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) is a genetically engineered growth hormone that is injected into dairy cows to artificially increase their milk production. The hormone has not been properly tested for safety. Milk labeled “rBGH-Free” is produced by dairy cows that never received injections of this hormone. Organic milk is rBGH free. (rBST stands for recombinant bovine somatotropin.)

The practice of moving animals between two or more paddocks, so that each paddock undergoes a short grazing period followed by a longer rest period. The practice protects pastures from overgrazing and reduces soil erosion.

Water from precipitation or irrigation that flows over the ground and into bodies of water. It can contribute to soil erosion and carry harmful pollutants.

A type of bacteria that causes food poisoning and is commonly found in meat and animal waste, particularly poultry.

Socially responsible activities are those in which the individual(s) profiting from the activity pay(s) all the costs the activity generates and shifts none of those costs to others who will not profit from the activity. So, socially responsible farming would be farming where all the costs of the farm (air and water pollution, etc.) are contained within the farm's boundaries and are not shifted off the farm.

A hen that is no longer able to function as a factory egg-producing machine -- usually about two years old. These hens, which frequently have broken bones and badly bruised bodies, are sold cheaply for use in frozen dinners or canned soups, or are discarded.

Castrated male cattle.

A young animal that is still nursing

A comprehensive system involving agricultural production quotas, producer marketing boards and import controls used to regulate agricultural products and the prices farmers receive for them.

The ability to provide for the needs of the world's current population without damaging the ability of future generations to provide for themselves. When a process is sustainable, it can be carried out over and over without negative environmental effects or impossibly high costs to anyone involved.

Farming that provides a secure living for farm families; maintains the natural environment and resources; supports the rural community; and offers respect and fair treatment to all involved, from farm workers to consumers to the animals raised for food.

Common factory farm practice of cutting off half or more of an animal's tail, frequently performed on cattle and pigs. This prevents pigs from chewing one another's tails and cattle from hitting workers with manure-covered tails. This is a painful procedure, which is not necessary when animals are not confined since they do not exhibit these behaviors.

Beef from calves that are less than six months old -- usually slaughtered at about 16 weeks of age.

A bacteria or infection that is fast-acting, severe, and destructive. For more information, visit our Human Health section.

Water that has been used and thrown away from residential, business or industrial sources. It can contain a variety of waste products like soap, chemicals or manure.

A young animal that has just been weaned (no longer nursing)