Despite the fact that the majority of East Asians are lactose intolerant, and that cows and feed-grains grown effectively elsewhere do poorly in the tropics of south and southeastern Asia, Western corporate investors are doing their best to promote “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations” (CAFOs) to Asian governments as cleaner, faster, and cheaper than traditional methods of farming. This policy paper examines the displacement of local economies, environmental impacts, health hazards, and animal welfare concerns raised by the rapid rise of dairy factory farming in Asia, and proposes a number of policy points through which governments may address these issues.

[Abstract excerpted from original source.]

“With markets for dairy products in industrialized countries at a virtual saturation point, the global dairy industry has set its sights on expansion across Asia. Due to their fast-growing populations, rising incomes, rapid urbanization, and greater exposure to Western consumer products and lifestyles, China, India, and a number of countries in Southeast Asia are now a locus of attention and investment from international and domestic dairy producers operating, or seeking to operate, at an industrial scale.”