Animals have, for centuries, been at the heart of European farming – shaping not only the land, but also the culture and ecology of rural life. They grazed fields, fertilised soils, supported biodiversity, and sustained resilient, local food systems. But somewhere along the way, Europe traded this harmony.
Its replacement – factory farming on a vast scale – has taken over in a matter of decades and is now fuelling a number of crises. From emissions and pollution to rural decline and animal suffering, the costs are impossible to ignore. But despite what we’re often led to believe, it doesn’t have to be this way… Ben Snelson reports.
The roots of European farming
From alpine meadows to the dehesas of Spain and the Great Plains of Central Europe, animals once played a key role in circular, healthy land-based farming systems. Rotational grazing helped build fertile soil and open habitats, and small herds provided food and sustained livelihoods and communities. These were not just economic systems – they were cultural ones, passed down generations, celebrated in local festivals and embedded in rural identity.
Animals were interwoven with the land, moving with the seasons, feeding on local resources, and coexisting with wildlife. This created diverse, mosaic landscapes – pastures, croplands, forests – rich in both nature and meaning.
Though increasingly rare, these sustainable farming systems live on across Europe. But they face growing financial (and political) pressures to abandon such practices. At the same time, the rest of us are being fed one of the great myths of our time – that Europe is made up of idyllic “family farms” defined by free-roaming animals, happy farmers and healthy ecosystems.
Today’s reality – and imagining a brighter future
Comforting imagery of such mixed farms masks a troubling reality: most farmed animals in the EU are raised in intensive systems. While industry lobbies derail action and stand in the way of urgently needed progress, scientific consensus is clear: current EU animal welfare standards are badly outdated and in need of urgent review. Public opinion is unambiguous: 1.4 million EU citizens have demanded an end to cages, and 84% think farm animals should be better protected in Europe.
Higher welfare systems are not just ethical – they’re more environmentally sound, more economically resilient, and better for public health. The European Commission must act – starting with promised revisions to animal welfare legislation and delivering on the ban on cages in animal farming, a call echoed in a historic consensus agreement.
The environmental case for fewer, happier animals
Intensive factory farming of animals is one of the top drivers of planet-cooking pollution and environmental degradation in Europe. Methane from ruminants makes up over half of agriculture’s climate footprint in Europe. “Enteric fermentation” (cattle’s digestive process) and manure management together accounted for 98% of methane emissions in the agriculture sector in 2022.
Meanwhile, nitrate pollution from fertilisers (widely used for growing crops for animal feed), manure, and dairy wastewaters is killing ecological reserves and contaminating drinking water. From Spain to the Netherlands to Italy, people and nature are already facing water quality emergencies driven by a huge density of farmed animals. The link is direct: more animals, higher concentration, more waste, greater environmental damage.
To meet EU climate targets – especially net-zero emissions by 2050 – science is clear: animal numbers must become safe and manageable. Fewer, healthier, happier animals mean lower emissions, cleaner water and air, and a chance to restore ecosystems.
In March 2025, the EEB co-hosted the photography exhibition “Factory Farming: Unveiling the Hidden Costs”, which shone a light on the overlapping ethical, environmental and human health crises fuelled by intensive animal rearing in Europe.
Wait… what are subsidies for again?
Europe’s current subsidy system (public money supporting specific sectors) is part of the problem. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – which currently accounts for around a third of the EU budget (≈€55 billion per year) – continues to pour public cash into industrial production. Over 80% of this money (€45 billion) goes to raising animals, 72% of which are reared intensively. This distorts the market, rewards high-output systems headed by big corporations, and sidelines smaller, sustainable farmers. It also offers little incentive for farmers to become more sustainable.
Subsidies are meant to offer support to sectors or industries on the basis that they need help tackling certain pressures – and that they provide some public benefit. But what we see today is, perversely, those corporations already making a killing, receiving more public money to enrich them further, at the expense of nature, animals and people’s health.
What we should see instead is CAP money funnelled toward farmers transitioning to agroecological, extensive, and mixed systems. This would ensure farmers are paid decently to provide things that people and nature like, want, and need – good food, healthy soils, clean water, animal protection, vibrant rural life.
Raising animal welfare: an environmental imperative
Improving animal welfare isn’t only about being nice to animals. It’s about protecting ecosystems – and our health.
Cramming animals into dark sheds and cages fuels disease, ammonia build-up, and nitrate leaching. By contrast, pasture-based systems restore the land and protect habitats. High-welfare systems that allow animals to graze, roam, socialise, and express natural behaviours, also reduce antibiotic use, recycle nutrients more effectively, and avoid pollution.
Many EU eco-schemes under the CAP already reward grass-based or lower-input systems. But Europe needs far more: better enforcement, more funding allocated to practices proven to be sustainable (rather than unproven ‘techno-fixes’), and an explicit goal to reduce animal numbers.
Supporting rural communities through a just transition
Some claim that cutting animal numbers will harm rural communities. The reality? Rural communities are already suffering badly under the shadow of factory farming and the out-of-control animal numbers it supports.
Many are fed up with such megafarms belching out foul odours, poisoning vital water sources, making air unbreathable, and devaluing their homes. But across Europe, local communities are fighting back – and winning!
A just transition can revitalise rural Europe. With dedicated support, organic farming, habitat restoration, plant-based food production, and responsible agro-tourism offer real alternatives. Small- and medium-scale farms can thrive under a model that values quality over quantity, with a respect for food at its core – without being forced into a ‘race to the bottom’.
But this transition must be fair – with investment in training, infrastructure, innovation, and local economies. Farmers need help shifting their practices – and consumers need support accessing better food.
Health and climate go together
The costs of intensive farming are not limited to the environment. Overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture is fuelling another ticking timebomb: antimicrobial resistance. Nitrate pollution threatens drinking water. Ammonia emissions contribute to asthma and respiratory illness.
Ensuring safe and sustainable animal numbers on Europe’s farms would defuse many of these snowballing risks. Combined with policies that promote healthy, more plant-based diets, the benefits could be enormous. Studies suggest that a moderate reduction in meat consumption, paired with better farming standards, could cut emissions by 25–40% while improving public health outcomes.
And people are ready. Across the EU, consumers are embracing such shifts. To support this, our food system (specifically ‘food environments‘) must make it easier and more affordable to pick the sustainable option.
Denmark’s moment to lead
All eyes are now on Denmark, which currently holds the presidency of the EU. Denmark is the first EU country with a national Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods, and it’s showing leadership by coordinating food and farming policies across its environment, health, and agriculture ministries.
This systems-based, joined-up thinking is exactly what Europe needs. Denmark’s presidency offers a rare window of opportunity to set the EU in a positive new direction – away from industrial overproduction and toward health, balance, and a sustainable – and economically viable – future of food and farming.
Even better: this approach is already bearing fruit, with growing support from across the private sector. Many such enterprises are recognising a plain truth: the longer we wait to act, the more costly the consequences. On the flip side: the sooner we embrace needed shifts, the greater the rewards.
The path forward: fewer, healthier animals in a fairer system
Europe’s animal farming sector stands at a crossroads. The current path – more animals, higher emissions, greater suffering – is simply untenable. The alternative is clear: fewer, better-treated animals integrated into resilient systems rooted in agroecology.
This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about restoring ecological and cultural balance. By reintegrating animals into sustainable, land-based farming, we can nurture soils and ecosystems back to life, close nutrient cycles, reduce reliance on synthetic inputs, and rebuild climate resilience.
The EU has a choice to make. The tools and the money are there. The science is clear. The public are watching. Now is the time for policymakers to act.
