The U.S. is one of the largest producers of meat, fish, and dairy in the world. Each year, U.S. farms raise over 30 billion animals in factory farm conditions, the majority of whom are fishes and chickens. Intensive animal agriculture involves confining large numbers of animals in cramped and stressful spaces, making it a significant contributor to animal suffering, as well as environmental degradation.

This report analyzed data from the industries with the highest levels of animal exploitation, helping animal advocates to make the biggest impact on the lives of animals. The report does this by showing all major farmed and wild-caught sectors in the country, before taking a deeper look at egg and chicken meat production. The clustering of the farms is mapped both by state and county. 

The results show that just 10 companies raise almost 80% (7 billion) of the 9 billion chickens killed for meat, and around 75% (270 million) of the egg-laying chickens in the U.S. are farmed by less than 1% of the 200,000 egg-producing farms.

The report also highlights that, while a large number of animals are farmed across the U.S., certain states farm an overwhelming majority of certain species. For example, 66% (73 million) of farmed shrimp in the U.S. are farmed in Texas, while 1.4 billion of the 9 billion chickens farmed for meat each year are farmed in Georgia. 25% (60 million) of all pigs and around 15% (56 million) of all egg-laying hens are farmed in Iowa. 

These clusters, alongside others highlighted in the report, can be explained through geography and history. Certain states have conditions more suitable for farming certain species than others, such as Texas having the warm water needed for shrimp farming. Other clusters can be explained historically — some states/counties happened to have been earlier farmers of certain species, and have since become dominant in that sector.

The report also explains the economic forces determining how and where these farmed animals are produced. One example is the influence of food retailers, as power is very concentrated amongst a few large companies. Another example is that farmed animal markets are well-integrated across the U.S., so small changes can cause industry-wide ripples.

It is important to note that there are limitations to accurately measuring the number of farmed animals being raise, particularly fishes. This is due to the underreporting of aquatic animals, and that the total number of farmed fishes has to be calculated by converting the total weight of fish produced by a farm. The actual number of farmed fishes could be higher than reported, but ultimately remains an estimate.

What does this mean for animal advocates? The report concludes that large-scale impact can be achieved through targeted and concentrated action. If laws can be changed in certain states, consumers in certain areas change their eating habits, or certain businesses implement animal welfare policies, then the whole industry can be positively impacted. The authors suggest that animal advocates take the following key actions:

• Lobbying at the state level, not the federal level
• Proposing new regulations through ballot initiatives
• Campaigning with food businesses and retailers
• Working with caterers to reformulate menus
• Engaging in environmental campaigns highlighting the links between factory farming and environmental destruction