142 million pigs, 76 million cattle, billions of chickens farmed yearly: Europe’s factory farms have exceeded what the scientific community have claimed are safe bounds. Factory farms’ externalities hit neighbouring communities first, transforming local ecologies and endangering health and welfare. Noise, odours that force residents indoors, air toxicity with ammonia emissions, chronic disease, water pollution with high nitrate concentrations and E. coli, PM2.5 emissions, hydrogen sulphide and flu-like symptoms, pathogens: living near factory farms decreases the basic life quality in Europe.
