Intensive farming

Nearly all the 4.9million pigs reared in Britain at any one time are kept on intensive units in distressing conditions. From the gigantic to the ramshackle, these factory farms have one thing in common: they thwart all natural instincts of the pig.
Up to a fifth of dairy cows in the UK are kept indoors in factory farms all year round, never feeling the grass beneath their feet or the sun on their backs. In Denmark 85 per cent of farms were grazing cows on grass in 2001, but by 2010 this had reduced to just 35 per cent . In the US the majority of dairy farms are industrial-scale indoor systems which can house tens of thousands of cows.
As the festive spirit fills many people's thoughts with partridges in pear trees and other peaceful images, a new investigation by the League Against Cruel Sports reveals how thousands of partridges will actually spend Christmas - imprisoned in small barren cages on farms that supply shooting estates.
The pheasant shooting season starts today, and while many people instinctively oppose the killing of animals for sport, most have no idea just how miserable the short life of 'game' birds really is.