Intensive livestock farming is becoming increasingly prevalent across Europe, with data indicating more than 24,000 so-called megafarms on the continent in 2023. The UK hosts 1,824 industrial-scale pig and poultry farms, with the second-highest concentration of intensive poultry farms after France. This growth correlates with a reduction in small farms and a widening income gap in the farming sector, adversely impacting biodiversity and increasing environmental pollution due to excessive nutrient runoff. The rise of these megafarms has significant implications for local ecosystems, society, and regulatory practices.
The rise in so-called megafarms across Europe comes as the number of small farms has reduced dramatically, and the income gap between large and small farms has increased, according to Guardian research.
In the Severn and Wye Valleys, a UK hotspot for intensive poultry farming, there are 79 chickens per human, the Guardian has revealed.
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