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Grouped content

Grouped content blocks are used when you want consecutive blocks with sidebars. They are used to prevent duplication of the sidebar when the reader moves from one block to the next. 

In this grouping, all blocks that are available for grouped content blocks are used. There is:

  1. A rich text editor block
  2. An email sign up form block
  3. An accordion block
  4. A form block

Rich text content block

Rich text content blocks are used for the main bodies of text. 

The H2s used in rich text content blocks can be used to make the in-page navigation menu on the left. Nb, you can also add titles to accordion blocks, form blocks, and sign up form blocks, and these too will appear in the navigation.

Rich text content blocks can be used without the left-hand menu (fullwidth), but this makes it quite difficult to read, so we advise against this in most cases.

Rich text content blocks also contain lots of features other than just text. For example, you can have:

Pig wallowing in mud, snout in the air.
Full width images with or without captions

You may rather have:

Cow lying in a field on a sunny day

A half-width image with some text alongside it.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

This is a heading 2

This is a heading 3

You can draw attention to a link by making it a button instead:

A call to action button

 

Some text in a emphsis block: Add a grey background to a section of text to make it stand out. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

  • Bulleted lists
  • Bulleted lists
  • Bulleted lists
  • Bulleted lists
  1. Numbered lists
  2. Numbered lists
  3. Numbered lists

This is a quote

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

John Smith

This is a table with a header row

Header Header
Content Content
Content Content

This is a table with a header row & light background

Header Header
Content Content
Content Content

Sign up form block - this is the title - optional

Some copy for above the form. This can only be plain text - no images, hyperlinks, bold or italic text, line breaks etc. If anything more than plain text is required, this can go in a rich text content block above the form, and the form title and this text could remain empty.

We'll keep you updated about our campaigns

Letter Icon

We promise not to spam you and you can unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy

Accordion block - this is the title - optional

You can include a small image to appear next to the accordion title. If an image is used, the image file should be square.

All the options available in rich text content blocks are available for each accordion item. For example, you can have:

Pig wallowing in mud, snout in the air.
Full width images with or without captions

You may rather have:

Cow lying in a field on a sunny day

A half width image with some text along side it.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

A call to action button
  • Bulleted lists
  • Bulleted lists
  • Bulleted lists
  1. Numbered lists
  2. Numbered lists
  3. Numbered lists

This is a table with a header row

Header Header
Content Content
Content Content

This is a table with a header row & light background

Header Header
Content Content
Content Content

You can include a small image to appear next to the accordion title. If an image is used, the image file should be square.

All the options available in rich text content blocks are available for each accordion item. For example, you can have:

Pig wallowing in mud, snout in the air.
Full width images with or without captions

You may rather have:

Cow lying in a field on a sunny day

A half width image with some text along side it.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

A call to action button
  • Bulleted lists
  • Bulleted lists
  • Bulleted lists
  1. Numbered lists
  2. Numbered lists
  3. Numbered lists

This is a table with a header row

Header Header
Content Content
Content Content

This is a table with a header row & light background

Header Header
Content Content
Content Content

Using accordions: The accordions should be used to hide away content that isn't core to the page, and allow users to reveal content that might support the main topic.

Form block - this is the title - optional

Contact us
?
?
?
?
?

Slideshow block

You can add as many slides as you choose - but do think about how likely people will be to see the later slides.

Titles, summaries, and buttons are optional for slideshows. You may just wish to have the images and nothing else.

Images used on slideshows should not have words embedded in them. Use the title/caption fields for any text you wish to add - these are also plain text fields, so no bold or italics, no hyperlinks etc. But there is the option of a button if you wish to link to something.

This is a slideshow title

This is a slideshow title

This is the caption. Titles, captions, and buttons are optional (see slide 2)

Button is optional
2. Slide

Box sliders

There are three types of items which you can add in a boxslider block. You can use combinations of item types within one boxslider:

  1. Content Auto List — here you select the parent node for which child pages should be listed. For example, if you choose the parent page of /our-campaigns, then the child box slider will show all pages which sit below that one, such as /our-campaigns/rethink-fish and our-campaigns/end-the-cage-age. The titles and images of the boxes will be automatically taken from the pages to which they link.
  2. Content Custom Item — an individual box where you add the title and image manually. These can link directly to a page, or can have content added to a pop-up.
  3. Content Manual List — you manually select a list of pages to link to. The titles and images are automatically taken from the pages.

Additionally, there are these options:

  • Child content box slider blocks will pick all child pages from a parent page. These are much the same as the Content Auto List, only the entire box slider will be dedicated to one list from a parent node.
  • You can choose whether they should stack on mobile/desktop - this means that if there are more boxes than can be displayed in one row, they will go onto a new row below; Or
  • Slide on mobile/desktop - where rather than being displayed underneath, the reader will scroll left and right to see additional boxes.

Optional title of box slider block - slide on mobile and desktop - direct links to pages

Descriptive text for the box slider block. This will display full width, so should not contain too much text, as it becomes difficult to read. You can add anything here which you can add in a rich text content block.

This slider is set to slide on desktop and mobile. That means you scroll right and left to see additional boxes.

These boxes have been set to directly link to pages, and take their titles and images from the pages linked to.

Animal cruelty

Animal cruelty

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People and poverty

People and poverty

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Environmental damage

Environmental damage

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Your health

Your health

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Why does factory farming still exist?

Why does factory farming still exist?

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Our campaigns

Our campaigns

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Donate Now

Donate Now

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Our Donor Charter

Our Donor Charter

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Philanthropy

Philanthropy

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The Compassion Lottery

The Compassion Lottery

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Win £2,000... and help end farm animal suffering

Win £2,000... and help end farm animal suffering

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Your legacy for farmed animals

Your legacy for farmed animals

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Animal cruelty

Animal cruelty

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Factory farming exploits animals, cramming them together and abusing them in an effort to boost productivity.

Ariel view of barren feed lots
Globally, around 92 billion animals are farmed every year and most of them are factory farmed.

The European Union (EU) recognises1 farm animals as sentient beings. Despite this, tens of billions of animals endure short, miserable lives in factory farms2 where the priority is profit above all else.

Space is a luxury

Crowded broiler chickens
Animals are treated as mere commodities, crammed together with little space, natural light or stimuli.

To save space, factory-farmed animals are crammed together in barren pens, crates or cages, preventing normal behaviours such as nesting or foraging. This often causes the animals to inflict injuries on each other out of sheer boredom, frustration and stress3.

An egg-laying hen in a barren battery cage often spends her whole life crammed into a space smaller than an A4 sheet of paper per animal

CIWF (2011)4

Mutilation is commonplace

Docked pigs tail 1000x562.jpg
Animals commonly injure each other out of boredom and stress. To reduce injuries, teeth are clipped, tails docked and beaks trimmed – all usually carried out without pain relief.

To reduce these injuries, mutilation has become commonplace. Animals have their teeth clipped, tails docked and beaks trimmed - all usually carried out without pain relief5.

The European Food Safety Authority reported that over 90% of Europe's pigs are tail-docked despite it being illegal to perform routinely.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2007)6

Fast growth is a necessity

Lame broiler 1200x800.jpg
Fast-growing and high-yielding animals are encouraged by selective breeding and concentrated feed. This puts animals at risk of problems such as lameness, broken bones and organ failure.

Factory farming systems demand fast-growing or high-yielding animals. They achieve this through selective breeding and the use of concentrated feed. This puts the animals at risk of developing often-painful physiological problems. Lameness, weakened or broken bones, infections and organ failure are common health problems for factory farmed animals. Antibiotics or other growth-promoting treatments are used in some countries to encourage even higher yields*.

Factory farmed meat chickens grow so fast that 25% suffer from painful lameness.

CIWF (2005)7

*The use of antibiotics to promote farm animal growth is outlawed in the EU but legal in a number of countries. In the United States, around 80% of all antibiotics are believed to be used on farm animals8,9.

But don't just take our word for it

…the law alone is not always strong or detailed enough to ensure that [farm animals] have a good quality of life.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) (2011)10

So what?

Factory farming mistreats animals. By taking action against factory farming, we are not just creating a food and farming revolution; we are also helping to stop an inhumane way of producing food that leads to the cruel mistreatment of billions of animals.
Ending factory farming - End.It

Ending factory farming - End.It

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What is factory farming? 

Factory farming is intensive farming systems that put production above all else, creating vast quantities of seemingly cheap meat, milk and eggs.

Most of the 92 billion land animals farmed each year are kept in factory farms. Treated as commodities, these animals are often raised in intense confinement where they can be crammed together in barren pens or cages. 

Factory farming is also highly dependent on large quantities of precious resources, such as grain-based feed, water, energy and medication.

In the UK, factory farms are on the rise, including a shocking increase in large-scale “mega farms”. Use the maps below to learn how factory farming is impacting your area. 

Optional title of box slider block - stacked on mobile and desktop - with pop-ups

Descriptive text for the box slider block. This will display full width, so should not contain too much text, as it becomes difficult to read. You can add anything here which you can add in a rich text content block.

This box slider is set to stack the boxes on mobile and desktop. This means that rather than scrolling left and right to see more boxes, all boxes are displayed, and you scroll down to see additional ones.

The items in this box slider have been added as pop-ups. The image, title, and content is manually added.

Title

Title

Summary text

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Body text for the pop-up. Can include:

  • Bullet points
  • Numbered lists
  • Links
Title

Title

Summary

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Body text for the pop-up. Can include:

  • Bullet points
  • Numbered lists
  • Links
Title

Title

Summary text

Read more

Body text for the pop-up. Can include:

  • Bullet points
  • Numbered lists
  • Links
Title

Title

Summary text

Read more

Body text for the pop-up. Can include:

  • Bullet points
  • Numbered lists
  • Links
Title

Title

Summary text

Read more

Body text for the pop-up. Can include:

  • Bullet points
  • Numbered lists
  • Links

Optional title of child content box slider block

Descriptive text for the child content box slider block. This will display full width, so should not contain too much text, as it becomes difficult to read. You can add anything here which you can add in a rich text content block.

This slider is set to stack on desktop and mobile.

Child content box sliders display all child pages of a selected page.

In this example, the selected page is /farm-animals, so this will display all pages with URLs of /farm-animals/XXX eg /farm-animals/chickens and /farm-animals/pigs.

Quail

Quail

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Animal Sentience

Animal Sentience

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Rabbits

Rabbits

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Fish

Fish

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Turkeys

Turkeys

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Sheep

Sheep

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Pigs

Pigs

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Cows

Cows

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Chickens

Chickens

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Tall content panel

Tall content panels are much the same as box sliders, with the various options laid out above for box sliders:

  • Taking images and titles from pages
  • Individually choosing images and titles
  • Linking directly to a page (so when box is clicked, person goes to that page)
  • With a pop-up (so when box is clicked, pop-up appears)
  • Stacking on mobile/desktop
  • Sliding on mobile/desktop

The only differences are:

  1. That the items are taller.
  2. When you hover over them, a short summary appears.
  3. You can add some additional copy between the title of the whole tall content panel block, and the actual panels that appear below linking to pages/pop-ups.

Title: tall content panel

This is the summary field. You can add the same things here as you can in a rich text content block.

This panel is set to slide on mobile and to show linked page summaries.

Farm animals

Farm animals

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Which animals are factory farmed?

Which animals are factory farmed?
About us

About Compassion in World Farming

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Learn about Compassion in World Farming, the leading farm animal welfare charity committed to ending factory farming practices. Founded in 1967, we campaign tirelessly to expose the realities of intensive farming and advocate for the rights of farmed animals.

Fighting for the welfare of every farmed animal

Compassion In World Farming campaigns peacefully to end factory farming and create sustainable food systems that benefit animals, people, and the planet. Why?

  • Factory farming is the biggest cause of animal cruelty on the planet. From caged pigs and hens, to exhausted and overworked dairy cows, billions of farmed animals are treated like production units.
  • Intensive meat production contributes to human health crises, including antimicrobial resistance, pandemics, obesity, cancer, and malnutrition.
  • Factory farming drives climate change and puts immense pressure on ecosystems. Nearly half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture, threatening wildlife and the planet's future.

We believe that everyone has the right to healthy food that doesn’t involve cruelty, doesn’t cause suffering and doesn’t destroy our planet.

The Story Of Compassion

Compassion started with one dairy farmer

Peter campaigning for farmed animal welfare. He is surrounded by people with some holding signs including 'ban batteries'.
Peter campaigning for farmed animals in 1980.

50 years ago, Compassion in World Farming was founded by Peter Roberts, a British farmer who became horrified by the development of modern, intensive factory farming.

For the first 40 years of his life, Peter led a conventional life. Having earned an agricultural diploma, he settled down happily to dairy farming.

However, Peter grew increasingly troubled by the direction of post-war farming. Appalled by the widespread use of cages and crates, he voiced his concerns to animal charities, but his calls for higher welfare were ignored.

In 1967, Peter Roberts and his wife Anna founded Compassion. Starting as just a back-room protest, Compassion grew into a powerful global movement, achieving enduring advancements in farmed animal welfare.

Now a fast-growing and influential worldwide movement, Compassion participates in key decision-making forums like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. With supporters and partners around the globe, we are driving far-reaching changes in farming to improve the quality of life for billions of farmed animals.

You can discover more about the founding of Compassion and Peter's remarkable life in Roaming Wild by Emma Silverthorn.

Peter Roberts driving a tractor

We continue to act as guardians of Peter’s vision; that society should be judged by how it feeds its people, respects the environment, and treats animals.

Compassion in Action: Victories for Farmed Animals and Sustainable Food

Sheep standing on hill amongst many mountains and a bright blue sky.
  • After a 50-year campaign, in 2024 a Bill was passed to ban live exports from Great Britain. This saves tens of thousands of British farm animals every year from long and exhausting journeys overseas.
  • Relentless campaigning resulted in the EU recognising animals as sentient beings, capable of feeling pain and suffering. We have also achieved a ban on battery cages for hens in the egg industry, veal crates and sow, or mother pig, stalls across Europe.
  • Award winning undercover investigations have exposed the reality of modern intensive farming systems to the public and worldwide media.
  • Our Food Business team is working with some of the world’s biggest food retailers, producers and manufacturers to encourage a move to humane, sustainable and resilient food systems. Over 2.6 billion animals are set to benefit each year because of our Good Award winners’ policies.

A Better World Starts with Compassionate Farming

Flock of free range hens in a bright green meadow.

As you read this, billions of farmed animals worldwide are suffering in factory farms, deprived of everything that makes life worth living, and our broken food system continues to devastate the planet. Ending this needless suffering is our only hope to protect our future.

Everyone deserves healthy food that does not involve cruelty, suffering, or environmental destruction. By reducing our reliance on animals for food and adopting sustainable farming practices, we can create a world where animals, nature, people, and the planet thrive together.

Want to join the fight against factory farming?

  • Sign up to receive email updates to learn about actions you can take to help end cruelty to farmed animals.
  • Donate a regular contribution to help us campaign to stop the spread of factory farming.

Compassion in World Farming is a registered charity in England and Wales (registered charity number 1095050) and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (registered company number 4590804).
Our impact

Our impact for farm animal welfare

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Making a difference together.

A year of incredible achievements

Impact Review

We are one of the leanest, most cost-effective global charities who achieve extraordinary things with the resources gifted to us by our supporters.

Every year, we produce an Impact Report to show what we have achieved together. Check out our latest Impact Review, or continue reading for some highlights from the last few decades.

Trustees Annual Report and Accounts

Factory farming is the single biggest cause of animal cruelty on the planet. Besides the devastating impact it has on billions of farm animals, it is threatening human health, wildlife and the climate. Solving a problem on this scale needs power in numbers.

  • OUR VISION is a world where farm animals are treated with compassion and respect.
  • OUR MISSION is to end factory farming.
  • OUR ESSENCE is that farm animals should not, and need not, suffer.

In Compassion’s latest Annual Report and Accounts, you will find the story behind our work, and what we have achieved for farm animals around the world during this past year.

You will discover why millions of farm animals have better lives, thanks to our incredible supporters, donors and volunteers worldwide – over two million voices across the globe, calling for a more compassionate world.

You will see the challenges that still lie ahead, as we navigate one of the most extraordinary times in history.

Together, we are uniting a global movement against factory farming. We WILL bring an end to cruel cages across Europe and ease the suffering of millions of farm animals, for generations to come.

Filtered content list block

Filtered content lists are much the same as box sliders, with the various options laid out above for box sliders:

  • Taking images and titles from pages
  • Individually choosing images and titles
  • Linking directly to a page (so when box is clicked, person goes to that page)
  • With a pop-up (so when box is clicked, pop-up appears)
  • Stacking on mobile/desktop
  • Sliding on mobile/desktop

The only differences are that:

  • items are put into categories, which appear in a banner above the boxes. Readers can then click to filter by category.
  • The optional title appears above the green banner

This is a filtered content list title - see box sliders for various options

Filter
Freerange Laying Hen

Category 1

Chickens

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There are more chickens in the world than any other bird. In fact, more than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food, for both their meat and their eggs.

Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens, whilst those farmed for eggs are called egg-laying hens.

The natural life of chickens

Chickens are gregarious birds and live together as a flock with a distinct hierarchy or “pecking order.” They would naturally spend their day foraging for food, scratching the ground looking for insects and seeds.

When a cockerel finds food, he may call the hens to eat it by clucking in a high pitch and picking up and dropping the food. This behaviour can also be seen in mother hens, calling their chicks.

Chickens tend to range widely, using the cover of trees and vegetation for safety from predators.

Life on some farms and small-holdings is just like that. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the 50 billion chickens reared each year experience intensive farming methods.

The reality of life on the farm

Different methods are used for producing meat chickens and egg-laying hens.
Cow And Calves In Pasture

Category 1

Cows

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Where do cattle come from?

Bos taurus (European cattle) are descended from the Auroch that lived in Northern Europe. They were domesticated as long ago as the Neolithic age and have been kept as livestock ever since for their meat, milk and hides.

Historically there was less distinction between dairy cattle and beef cattle, with the same breeds used for both milk and meat. However, in the developed world today farmers generally keep either beef or dairy cattle. Through generations of selection, dairy breeds such as the Holstein, are bred specifically to produce very high volumes of milk.

Cattle farming today

The calves of dairy and beef cows are likely to have very different lives. Beef cattle are generally slaughtered after one to two years in Europe but they can be up to five years old in the case of extensively reared animals. Female dairy calves are usually reared on for milk production. Dairy cows produce some male calves which are generally less suitable for beef production. Sadly, in the UK some of these are shot at birth and several thousand animals are exported to the continent each year from Northern Ireland.

Due to co-operation between Compassion in World Farming, the RSPCA and the industry through the Calf Stakeholder Forum, more male dairy calves are now reared humanely for beef and the number of calves being shot at birth has greatly decreased. There is more work to do - around 95, 000 dairy calves are still shot every year.

Beef cattle are often reared outdoors on grass, although many are brought indoors or crowded into feedlots for fattening before slaughter. Even though many cattle in the UK, Ireland and Northern France are fattened on grass, many cattle are kept indoors and fattened on a high grain diet across most of Europe. In indoor systems, beef cattle are commonly housed on slatted floors in crowded conditions, which increases aggression and can lead to severe injuries and lameness.

There are also specific welfare concerns for dairy cows and calves.
Farm Animals Fish header.jpg

Category 1

Fish

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Fish are the most utilised animals on Earth. Up to three trillion individuals are killed for food every year. They are able to feel pain, pleasure and other emotions throughout their lives. Despite this, fish receive very little legal protection and are either farmed in terrible conditions or caught using extremely cruel methods.

Fish are aquatic vertebrates that live in the sea and fresh water. Most fish have highly developed senses with excellent taste, smell and colour vision. They also have a ‘lateral line system’ of receptors that can detect the motion of currents, nearby fish and prey.

They are sentient animals: capable of feeling pain, and experiencing a range of emotions. Scientific evidence has revealed that fish are far more intelligent than people assume. They have long-term memories, complex social structures, problem solving abilities, and some have been seen using tools.

Fish are eaten by people around the world and are either caught from the wild or farmed, which is known as aquaculture.

Fish farming today

Fish farm.jpg

Some scientists have predicted that by 2048, stocks of all species of sea fish will have collapsed, largely due to over-fishing. Meanwhile, aquaculture is growing rapidly. In 1970 around 5 per cent of the fish we ate came from farms. Today, around half of the fish we eat has been farmed. Globally, between 40-120 billion farmed fish are slaughtered for food each year. 

Farmed fish are reared in large numbers in crowded enclosures. These may be situated on land or in rivers, lakes or at sea. The vast majority of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout consumed around the world are farmed intensively. Other species commonly farmed include carp, catfish, sea bass, and tilapia. 

When fish become fish feed

Caught fish.jpg

Although aquaculture may seem like a solution to the problem of over-fishing wild stocks, it can actually add to the issue. As many of the species farmed are carnivorous, they are fed largely on wild-caught fish. Over 450 billion fish are caught each year for reduction to fish oil and fishmeal, which is then fed to farmed fish.

This means even greater numbers of fish are taken from the oceans and rivers for use as feed, than if they were eaten by humans directly. This is very unsustainable.

For example, to produce one tonne of farmed salmon it takes about two and a half tonnes of wild-caught fish, such as anchovies. Due to the small size of anchovies, this can mean that 500 individuals must be caught and killed for fish oil, just to produce one salmon.  

There are also serious welfare concerns about how wild fish are caught and slaughtered. To find out more about the welfare of wild fish visit www.fishcount.org.uk and for information on sustainable fishing see www.msc.org.

You can read more about the welfare of farmed fish here.
Piglet In Barn

Category 1

Pigs

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Pigs are highly intelligent, sociable animals with an amazing sense of smell.

Where are pigs from?

Pigs are believed to have been domesticated from wild boar as early as 9000 years ago. They were originally native to Europe and parts of Asia but have, over the centuries, been introduced to many parts of the world.

Most pigs in the world today are farmed pigs, but some have become feral, having escaped from farms or been deliberately introduced into the wild for hunting. Some breeds of pig, such as the Asian pot-bellied pig, are kept as pets. Because of their foraging abilities, and an excellent sense of smell, pigs are used to hunt for truffles in some parts of Europe.

The natural life of pigs

In natural conditions, pigs live in small social groups, consisting of a few sows with their young. They range over hundreds of kilometres and spend much of their day foraging and rooting for food.

These free-range pigs have a great amount of freedom.

Pigs are naturally omnivorous and will eat both plants and small animals; they will forage for leaves, grass, roots, fruits and flowers. Pigs make nests to sleep in and dig out mud wallows when they need to cool down. 

Sow wallowing

This level of freedom to express their natural behaviour is not the experience of most pigs today.

Pig farming today

Around 1.4 billion pigs are slaughtered annually for meat worldwide. The majority of these are in East Asia, particularly China, which rears around half of the world’s pigs. This is followed by the EU, North America, Vietnam and Brazil. The majority of pigs are reared for meat and a smaller number are kept for breeding. 

Whilst some pigs are kept free-range and in back yards in many developing countries, at least half of the world’s pig meat is produced from intensive systems.

Intensive pig farming

This footage shows potentially upsetting scenes of animal suffering.

Undercover footage from Eastern and Southern Europe.

In intensive systems, sows (mother pigs) are often confined in narrow crates, unable to move freely, when they are pregnant and nursing their piglets.

The piglets reared for meat are often mutilated, without anaesthetic, and kept in concrete sheds without bedding.

This shift away from traditional pig farming to large-scale intensive methods has resulted in significant concerns for the welfare of millions of pigs throughout the world.
Quail close up.JPG

Category 1

Quail

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Quail close up.JPG
Quail forage, sleep and lay eggs in the grass

The most commonly farmed species of quail is the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). They were domesticated around the 11th century in Japan, and originally kept as song birds. In the 1950s, they were brought to Europe and are now bred for their meat and eggs. Quail are the smallest farmed bird, some weighing as little as 100g when fully grown.

There are around 20 different types of wild quail found around the world and around 70 domestic breeds. Domestic quail behave very similarly to wild quail, although they seem to have lost some, or all, of their migratory instincts.

The natural life of quail

Quail can be found living in grassy fields, cropland, and meadow habitats. Wild Japanese quail live in East Asia, Russia and parts of Africa, and some populations migrate. They feed mainly on grass seeds, but also eat small insects. Quail live on the ground: foraging, nesting and sleeping in the grass. They dust-bathe regularly to clean their feathers.

When in danger, quail fly up rapidly to avoid a predator but drop back into the grass a few dozen yards away. However, their first reaction to danger is usually to hide in the vegetation. Their elusive lifestyle means they are more often heard than seen; in fact, they have quite distinctive calls.

In the winter, quail usually live in large groups but in the breeding season, during warmer months, many quail will be found living in breeding pairs. Hens lay their eggs on the ground in simple nests made out of dry grass.

Quail farming today

Quail in cages.jpg

An estimated 1.4 billion quail are farmed annually for their meat and eggs. The majority of quail are farmed in China, with over 80% produced there. The European Union produces over 100 million quail, but the industry is largely unregulated and there are no official published statistics on this.

Quail reared for meat are slaughtered by around 5 weeks old. Egg laying quail hens start laying at around 7 weeks old and will be slaughtered at around 8 months old. The vast majority of quail are farmed intensively in battery cages or overcrowded barns.

Find out more about the welfare of farmed quail.
Rabbit Outside

Category 1

Rabbits

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Rabbits have been domesticated fairly recently, compared to other domesticated animals. The ancestor of both farmed and pet rabbits is the wild European rabbit we still see today. Wild rabbits live in varying habitats including forests, woodland, meadows, Savannah deserts and wetland and are found in several parts of the world. Domestic rabbits behave very similarly to wild rabbits.  

A grey rabbit outside

The natural life of rabbits

Rabbits are prey animals and to avoid predators they mainly feed at dusk and dawn. They are herbivores and eat a variety of plants including grass. While above ground, rabbits will frequently check for predators by sitting up on their back legs or against objects with their ears pricked to listen for potential danger; this is part of their natural behaviour.

They have an excellent sense of smell and peripheral vision and are very good diggers. When chased by a predator, their long, powerful hind legs allow them to run very fast. Some can reach speeds of 35 miles/hour. They can also jump over a metre high.

Rabbits are highly social animals and live in family groups of 2-9 females, 1-3 males and their offspring. The family will share their home range and live in a network of burrows, called a ‘warren’, which they will defend against predators and other rabbits. A warren contains different areas which are used for specific activities such as sleeping and nesting. Mutual grooming is important to reinforce social bonds.

Female rabbits (‘does’) tend to reproduce when the climate is favourable. Before giving birth a doe will build a nest, lining it with her own fur, in an isolated part of the warren. After the kits (young rabbits) are born she leaves them alone for most of the time. She only enters the nest for a few minutes once a day to feed the kits, and seals up the nest entrance afterwards to keep them safe. 

Rabbit farming today

Almost one billion rabbits are slaughtered annually for meat worldwide; over 50% of these are in China (FAOSTAT 2017). In the European Union approximately 180 million rabbits are slaughtered for meat every year: 120 million from commercial farms and 60 million from backyard farms. The majority of these are produced in Spain, France and Italy. Around 94% of commercially farmed rabbits in the EU are caged (European Commission 2016).

Nearly all rabbits farmed for meat and fur are kept in small, barren cages where their natural behaviour is severely restricted. Rabbits in intensive farming systems experience very bad welfare.

Find out more about the welfare of farmed rabbits.
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Category 1

Sheep

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One of the first farmed animals, reared for thousands of years for meat and milk. Read about how sheep and lambs are farmed today.

There are over 1 billion sheep worldwide. The greatest numbers are farmed in Asia and Africa. Sheep are kept for meat (lamb and mutton) and for milk.

Sheep are prey animals, largely defenceless against predators and naturally nervous and easily frightened. They flock together for safety. Sheep have a ‘flight zone’ – the distance they keep from a potential threat such as a person or sheepdog - which varies depending how wild the sheep are.

Lambs are very independent at birth and form strong bonds with their mothers, recognising each other by their bleats.

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Where do sheep come from?

Sheep originate from wild sheep. They were one of the first domesticated animals, farmed since about 9,000 BC. Over the years of domestication, sheep have been bred to have more wool and developed black, white and spotted varieties.

Sheep farming today

Most sheep are farmed outdoors in extensive systems, with less than 1% kept in intensive systems (although this is still several million animals). Some sheep may be housed over winter but otherwise housing is generally reserved for lambing, fattening of some lambs and for milking sheep.

Although the vast majority of sheep are not intensively farmed, there are still significant concerns for sheep and lamb welfare.
Turkey

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Turkeys

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Wild turkeys are large birds native to North America. They live in a variety of habitats, mostly forests, and spend much of their time foraging for food. Turkeys are omnivores and will eat various seeds, plants, insects and worms. They investigate their surroundings by pecking and scratching, and keep their feathers clean by preening and dustbathing regularly. At night, they fly up to rest in trees for safety from predators.

Domesticated turkeys are believed to descend from the South Mexican turkey, and were brought to Europe by the Spanish who had discovered them as a favourite domesticated animal of the Aztecs.

Turkey production

Almost 630 million turkeys are produced for meat each year, globally (FAOSTAT, 2014). Of these, over 240 million are produced in the US and over 240 million in the EU.

Modern commercial turkeys have been selectively bred for fast growth and disproportionately large breast muscles. They are slaughtered when they are between 9 and 24 weeks of age, and may weigh upwards of 20kg.

Intensive indoor systems

In the EU, over 90% of turkeys are kept in intensive indoor systems.  These turkeys are kept in enclosed sheds in groups of up to 25,000 birds and have no outdoor access.

Inside the turkey shed

A typical, crowded turkey shed (note that beaks have been trimmed)

Enclosed sheds

Turkey barns are usually barren, with only food and water stations, and litter. The barns are overcrowded and often windowless, with artificially lighting and ventilation. Lighting schedules are strictly controlled to encourage the turkeys to eat more food, reduce their activity and grow fast. They are kept in very low light to reduce feather-pecking but this can cause eye abnormalities and blindness.

Pole barns

Smaller producers, especially those who produce turkeys for the Christmas market, often keep turkeys in open barns with natural lighting and ventilation and more space.

Intensive methods of rearing turkeys lead to many welfare issues.
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Animal Sentience

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What is animal sentience?

Sentient animals are aware of their feelings and emotions. These could be negative feelings such as pain, frustration and fear. It is logical to suppose that sentient animals also enjoy feelings of comfort, enjoyment, contentment, and perhaps even great delight and joy.

Science shows us some interesting abilities in farm animals:

  • Sheep can recognise up to 50 other sheep’s faces and remember them for two years
  • Cows show excitement when they discover how to open a gate leading to a food reward
  • Mother hens teach their chicks which foods are good to eat
  • Lame meat chickens choose to eat food which contains a painkiller

Scientists believe that sentience is necessary because it helps animals to survive by:

  • learning more effectively from experience in order to cope with the world
  • distinguishing and choosing between different objects, animals and situations such as working out who is helpful or who might cause them harm
  • understanding social relationships and the behaviour of other individuals.

The growing scientific interest in animal sentience is showing what many people have long thought to be the case – that a wide range of animals are thinking, feeling beings. What happens to them matters to them.

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A sentient animal is one for whom feelings matter

John Webster, Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol

Why animal sentience matters

Animals have evolved to cope as successfully as possible with life in the wild. Thousands of years of domestication of farm animals have changed their basic motivations and behaviour patterns very little.

Industrial-type farming often fails to appreciate animals’ needs and their capacity to suffer. This can mean that very large numbers of sentient animals are routinely subjected to pain and deprivation.

Globally each year we farm around 92 billion farm animals for meat, milk or eggs. The majority of commercially-farmed animals are confined in cages, narrow stalls or in over-crowded sheds. In such confinement, there is little or no opportunity to carry out the natural behaviours which are so important to them.

It is urgent that farming systems and practices adopt methods which recognise animal sentience and pay full regard to the animals’ needs.

Read more in our summary report: Stop, Look, Listen – recognising the sentience of farm animals.

Getting involved in the fight against factory farming couldn’t be easier. Simply sign up to receive email updates from Compassion in World Farming to hear about urgent campaign actions and other ways you can help end cruelty to farm animals.
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Order Compassion in World Farming resources

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You can also order resources using the online order form.

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Gap Pigs Book Cover

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GAP Pigs - PowerPoint presentation

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Download the full GAP Pigs PowerPoint presentation here in a single step. This version has the film clips embedded and works with versions of PowerPoint from 2010 onwards (pptx file, 146MB).

The PowerPoint presentation without the film can be downloaded here (ppt file, 33MB). This should also work with earlier versions of PowerPoint.

The presentation and the film clips can be downloaded separately in two easy steps:

  • Click “Download all as zip”
  • Extract all files

See the bottom of this page for technical information about using video clips in PowerPoint.

The presentation is also available on the Animal Welfare Aspects of Good Agricultural Practice – pig production DVD-ROM which can be ordered using the online form or our educational resources leaflet.

This presentation complements the film and is designed:

  • To provide more detailed information about issues raised in the film
  • To stimulate discussion in lectures, seminars and workshops
  • For private study by students working alone

The PowerPoint presentation covers pig welfare issues in detail. It can be used both for lecturing and for personal use. It is designed for use in lectures to accompany the film. It reinforces key points and includes questions to encourage thought and discussion of the issues. However, it can also work as a stand-alone resource.

The presentation is divided into 10 sections, containing approximately 150 slides including many pictures and about 40 short video clips. This could be enough for several lectures, though an alternative is to show some of the sections and leave the rest for private study.

Contents

  • Introduction - Natural behaviour and production systems
  • Chapter 1 – Space and foraging needs for dry sows
  • Chapter 2 – Avoiding aggression in dry sows
  • Chapter 3 – Space and nesting needs of farrowing sows
  • Chapter 4 – Avoiding teeth clipping in piglets
  • Chapter 5 – Avoiding castration in male piglets
  • Chapter 6 – Avoiding early weaning
  • Chapter 7 – Avoiding tail docking and tail biting
  • Chapter 8 – Good stockmanship
  • Summary - What good welfare depends on

Technical note on use of film clips in presentations

To use the pptx file with the video clips embedded, you need PowerPoint 2010 or later.

If you are using an earlier version of PowerPoint, then you need a ppt file and the information below will apply.

If the PowerPoint is downloaded correctly from the website, or copied as a folder from the DVD-ROM, the video clips should work when you play the PowerPoint file.

Problems can arise because, unlike pictures, videos are not directly incorporated into the PowerPoint file. The program inserts a link to the separate video file. The link can stop working every time the presentation file is moved or copied.

The key to ensuring that video clips can work is to keep all the files, including the PowerPoint file and the video files, together (so the links are unaffected). If downloading from the web, download all files together with the “Download all as zip” button at the top right of the download screen. Choose the “Save As” option and then create or select a folder for the files to be downloaded to.

This will download a zip file from which you will need to “unzip” or “extract” the files. If you navigate to the zip file and then select it, you should go to a screen which will list the files. There should be an “extract all files” button at the top left. If you do this and then load the PowerPoint presentation in the folder created, the film clips should work. NB These instructions for extracting files work in Windows 7. The process may be different in earlier or later versions.

If you later want to copy the folder to a network or other storage device, the files should be kept together. The same applies when copying the presentation off the DVD-ROM. There are two key ways of achieving this:

  • Select the whole folder containing the presentation and video clips and copy and paste them all together
  • Load the presentation and use the Publish – Package for CD option to save the file and all the links that are required to the destination of your choice. Again the exact command required will vary between different versions of PowerPoint.

When loading the file, the computer security system may question the running of video clips. If prompted, select the “enable content” or “enable editing” button to ensure that films can work.

If you have trouble running films in this presentation, please do contact us and we will try to help.

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Free Range Pigs

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Good Agricultural Practice - Pig Production book

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Animal Welfare Aspects of Good Agricultural Practice: Pig Production

This book includes detailed chapters on the science of pig behaviour and welfare, together with economic, legal and environmental aspects, as well as 25 case studies which document attempts to improve welfare in a range of pig production systems including indoor and outdoor systems.

The GAP pigs book costs £10, though we are happy to send a free copy to any college or university department, agricultural school or agriculture institution. You can order a copy from the website.

The GAP pigs book can also be downloaded free either by chapter, by case study or in full.

You can order a printed book for £10 online or with this form (free to colleges).

Download the entire book

The book is 184 pages and contains hundreds of illustrations. We recommend that you only attempt this via a broadband connection.

View (PDF 11.23MB)
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GAP Pigs lecturers notes

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The GAP pigs materials are designed as a flexible resource. The film, PowerPoint presentations and book can be used in lectures, seminars and workshops; they can also be used for private study.

The GAP Pigs Lecturers’ Notes provide suggestions for the use of these materials. The notes are divided into the following sections:

  1. Possible session outlines
  2. Using the film
  3. Using the PowerPoint presentation
  4. Using the book and case study material
  5. Developing your own local case study material
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Primary school and young children's resources

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Resources on pigs

We have developed some new resources on pigs including some great short films and an interactive presentation full of questions to discuss. These are also appropriate for parents teaching their children from home.

The short films should be suitable for any age. Our interactive presentation is aimed at children age 7-11, though you may like to adapt or younger ones by editing some slides out. The resources include:

Resources on chickens

We have developed some engaging new resources on hens and chickens, including an interactive presentation and some short films, to show their natural behaviours and the ways we farm them.

Our interactive presentation is aimed at children age 7-11 but can be adapted for younger ones by editing some slides out. The short films are suitable for any age.

The resources include:

Resources on dairy cows

We have just added new resources on cows including some great short films and an interactive presentation full of questions to discuss. These are also appropriate for parents teaching their children from home.

The short films should be suitable for any age, including several from the Ethical Dairy where they follow the rare practice of keeping dairy calves with their mothers. Our interactive presentation is aimed at children age 7-11, though you may like to adapt or younger ones by editing some slides out.

Needs of animals pack

This pack contains:

The teachers’ notes include ideas for using the Let’s Ask the Animals film and, for pupils aged 10-11 the secondary resources for older primary students.

DOWNLOAD THE PACK

Film - A Life Worth Living

Our new film A Life Worth Living includes some great clips of positive animal behaviour to stimulate discussion of the benefits of higher welfare farming – pigs and laying hens, ducks and quail.

We suggest using the five one-minute clips one at a time to encourage observation and stimulate discussion.

Help us improve our resources

Comments from teachers and lecturers are very much valued and help us to evaluate and improve our educational resources. Please feel free to contact us or use our evaluation form. The views of students would also be much appreciated.

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Farm Animals & Us Full Teachers Pack

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Farm Animals and Us

Includes activities suitable for year students aged 10 to adult.

Many students prefer not to join in whole group discussion but are happy to talk in small groups. The worksheets and discussion activities in the Farm Animals & Us Teachers’ Pack are designed to encourage balanced small group discussion and self-analysis whilst teaching about farming using many concrete examples.

We are in the process of updating these materials which will become available as they are completed.

The following resources have been updated:

We expect to add to both of these resources over the coming years.

Meanwhile, the original Farm Animals & Us Teachers’ Pack contains a range of activities designed to promote group discussion and analysis of ethical values including worksheets and lesson plans. These include:

  1. Where Do You Draw the Line? Small group discussion activity with a range of cards illustrating farm animal welfare issues
  2. How Do Animals Matter? Three small group activities with simple philosophical, environmental or religious statements for discussion

Additional teaching resources are available at:

Farm Animals & Us Teachers’ Pack in detail

Where do you draw the line?

Small group discussion activity with a range of cards illustrating farm animal welfare issues.

Where Do You Draw The Line Cards

Two cards from the Where Do You Draw the Line? exercise designed to promote small group discussion.

Available both in colour and in black and white (for easy photocopying), students discuss how far they agree with 32 issues concerned with the welfare of farm animals.

How do animals matter?

Three small group activities with a range of cards with statements for discussion.   

How Do Animals Matter Cards 1

The two cards above are from How Do Animals Matter - a range of philosophical viewpoints.

This is a small group discussion exercise - students discuss how far they agree or disagree with each statement.

How Do Animals Matter Cards 2

Two cards from How Do Animals Matter - opinions religious and secular.

As well as discussing the rights and wrongs of issues, students can discuss which religions would agree or disagree with each statement.

Personality test

Self assessing exercise to analyse attitudes to animal issues. Version 1 for students aged 14 and over, including university students. Version 2 for younger students.    

Personality Test

This exercise analyses attitudes to animal issues. Each question looks at a range of food and farming issues from animal rights, animal welfare, sustainable development and "humans come first" viewpoints. Students tick the statements they agree with.

Such a good introduction. Finding out what moral stance they were coming from engaged them.

Head of Religious Studies in High School

Science worksheets

Two worksheets targeting the science curriculum. Suitable for ages 14-18.  

These two worksheets target the science curriculum at KS4. Both contain crosswords to reinforce biological terms and opinion-forming activities to encourage thought about ethical issues in science.

Looking for something else?

See also the Farm Animals and Us DVD compilation which includes the films as well as pdfs of the pack.

Comments from teachers and lecturers are very much valued and help us to evaluate and improve our educational resources.
Please feel free to contact us or use our evaluation form. The views of students would also be much appreciated.

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How Should We Treat Farm Animals?

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Enriched Colony Cage Card
Free Range Hen Card

Children of all ages care about animals, and can be engaged by a consideration of how they are treated in farming. Meanwhile, the way our food is produced is a growing topic of debate in society, of importance in Citizenship, science, geography, moral and religious studies, English and any other subject which would benefit from engaged ethical discussion.

The stimulus material in this exercise is presented in groups of four cards, each of which describes a system (or issue) in animal farming. For example, hens can be kept in battery cages, colony cages, barns or free-range. Students discuss the rights and wrongs of each system and whether or not they agree with eggs being produced in these ways.

The cards can also be used:

  • In sorting activities to increase understanding of different methods of farming
  • In role play activities to consider the views of different interest groups such as consumers, farmers or animal welfare supporters
  • As a source of information

Additional information is provided on the back of each card for extension work. This material also lends itself to differentiation in mixed ability groups of students. We recommend that this resource is used in conjunction with Farm Animals & Us (for ages 10-14) or Farm Animals & Us 2 (for ages 14-adult).

Download

You can download this educational resource:

Or download the entire package here.

This new resource has been developed from the Where Do You Draw the Line? activity in our Farm Animals & Us teachers’ pack. We plan to develop similar resources to cover ethical issues around selective breeding and the environmental impacts of farming systems.

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Selective Breeding worksheet

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Farmers have been selectively breeding chickens for thousands of years. The basic method is quite simple.  If you breed from the hen which lays the most eggs, the chances are that her daughters will also be good layers.  This is because the number of eggs which a hen lays is partly controlled by the genes which a hen inherits from her parents. Egg production can also be increased by environment, for example by providing good feed and keeping the lights on for longer since day length affects the laying pattern.

With modern scientific breeding, hens today lay over 300 eggs per year, around ten times as many as their jungle fowl ancestors. In the same way, broiler or meat chickens have been selectively bred to grow very fast using the same principle.

The result is cheap meat or eggs, but high production can come at a cost to the welfare of the animals. The worksheet discusses the basic principles of selective breeding while raising ethical issues relating to the use of science and technology.  Students are encouraged to formulate their own opinions, especially in relation to the different ways we use animals in producing food.

The worksheet, together with teachers’ notes, lesson plans and another set on food chains that feed people entitled Food chains and farm animals can be downloaded or ordered for free.

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Food Chains and Farm Animals worksheet

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When we eat toast we are at the top of a very short food chain.  We are absorbing energy which a wheat plant originally absorbed from the sun in photosynthesis.

When we eat chicken we obtain energy from the chicken who obtained it from the wheat which in turn absorbed it from the sun. However, we only get a small amount of that energy. This is because energy gets used up at each stage of a food chain.

Meat production can be made more energy efficient by keeping the animals more intensively.  However, this raises welfare issues for the animals.

Are there other ways we could feed people efficiently without keeping animals intensively? Perhaps we could eat less meat, concentrating on free-range animals which eat foods like grass which we can’t eat?

The worksheet discusses the basic principles of food chains and pyramids of numbers that feed humans and how people can be fed efficiently while raising ethical issues relating to the use of science and technology.  Students are encouraged to formulate their own opinions, especially in relation to the different ways we use animals in producing food.

The worksheet, together with teachers’ notes, lesson plans and another set entitled Selective breeding of farm animals can be downloaded or ordered for free.

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Personality Test: How Do You Think About Animals?

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Personality Test. How Do You Think About Animals?

Teaching resource for exploring values. Ten questions. Students examine their attitudes to the use of animals for food including intensive farming, organic farming, cloning, fishing, fish farming and whaling. A great lesson starter, guaranteed to engage! Includes lesson plans.

Download: Personality Test complete set

Students love doing personality tests! Actually, this is an exercise in analysing attitudes to animal issues.

Each question breaks down into four viewpoints:

  • Animal Rights
  • Animal Welfare
  • Environmental / sustainable development
  • Anthropocentric / humans come first
Personality Test Image 2

At the end of the quiz, students work out which is their viewpoint. This leads to a class discussion of different ethical approaches.

This can be used to consider ethical issues in science, citizenship, geography, moral and religious studies, English and any other subject that would benefit from a discussion of values or from a better understanding of how our food is produced.

This is an activity for all ages from upper primary to university level! The teachers’ notes detail how the activity can be differentiated. There are two versions of the quiz- Version 1 has a reading age of 12 which is suitable for all age groups above this, Version 2 has a reading age of 9.

Download

Or download the whole package here.

This activity has been updated from the original in our Farm Animals & Us teachers’ pack.

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Free resources for geography teachers

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Climate change home page slide

Whilst some classes enjoy great discussions, in others, one or two students may dominate the debate. There are often many who prefer to keep quiet in front of others, but who are happy to discuss in small groups.

We have resources including films to stimulate general debate. Also a range of cards or worksheets to promote discussion in small groups. Please download our provide films and other resources at the links below. You can also order a free  DVDROM plus printed materials. Please specify Geography or the subject you want this for.

Discussion activities

  • Personality Test – pupils love quizzes! They can use this to analyse their philosophical approach to the use of animals for food. Should we put people first, safeguard the environment, prioritise animal welfare or respect the rights of animals?
  • How Should We Treat Farm Animals? – small group discussion activity which encourages students to consider the pros and cons of different systems for producing meat, milk and eggs including organic, free-range and intensive.
  • How Do Animals Matter? A range of philosophical viewpoints – card exercise with a range of opinions designed to encourage open ended discussion, from our original Farm Animals & Us Teachers’ Pack

Films

Farm animals can be kept extensively or intensively, with significant implications for land-use and the environment. Compassion in World Farming produces a range of films which compare different systems for keeping farm animals and their implications for welfare and food security:

  • Farm Animals & Us – 17 minute film for students aged 10 & over covering intensive and alternative farming methods and their effect on the welfare of farm animals
  • Farm Animals & Us 2 – 25 minute film for students aged 14 to adult which covers the same subject in more detail.
  • A Life Worth Living – 5 minute film with five short sections of positive animal behaviour without commentary to encourage observation and discussion for all ages
  • Eat Less Meat – a 17 minute archive film for students aged 14 & over discussing the food security, health, environmental and animal welfare advantages of diets designed to be more sustainable.

For A-level students studying in depth, case studies of higher welfare farming across the world are available at our section on Good Agricultural Practice.

Invite a speaker

You can also enrich your lessons by inviting a speaker to talk to your students. This service is available to schools and colleges in England and Wales, subject to availability. It is normally free, though some speakers appreciate travelling expenses if they have a way to come, but only if you have the budget for it.

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Free resources for PSHE and citizenship teachers

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There is a school of educational thought which believes many people learn more by talking than listening, so we produce a range of resources including films to encourage debate.

Whilst some classes enjoy great discussions, in others, one or two students may dominate the debate. There are often many who prefer to keep quiet in front of others, but who are happy to discuss in small groups.

So, as well as films, we produce a range of small group discussion activities to engage your quieter students. Please download our provide films and other resources at the links below. You can also order a free DVDROM plus printed materials. Please specify PSHCE or the subject you want this for.

Discussion activities

  • Personality Test – pupils love quizzes! They can use this to analyse their philosophical approach to the use of animals for food. Should we put people first, safeguard the environment, prioritise animal welfare or respect the rights of animals?
  • How Should We Treat Farm Animals? – small group discussion activity which encourages students to consider the pros and cons of different systems for producing meat, milk and eggs including organic, free-range and intensive.
  • How Do Animals Matter? A range of philosophical viewpoints – card exercise with a range of opinions designed to encourage open ended discussion, from our original Farm Animals & Us Teachers’ Pack

Films

  • Farm Animals & Us – 17 minute film for students aged 10 & over covering intensive and alternative farming methods and their effect on the welfare of farm animals
  • Farm Animals & Us 2 – 25 minute film for students aged 14 to adult which covers the same subject in more detail.
  • A Life Worth Living – 5 minute film with five short sections of positive animal behaviour without commentary to encourage observation and discussion

Invite a speaker

You can also enrich your lessons by inviting a speaker to talk to your students. This service is available to schools and colleges in England and Wales, subject to availability. It is normally free, though some speakers appreciate travelling expenses if they have a way to come, but only if you have the budget for it.

For a historical view of campaigns to ban barren battery cages and sow stalls at the turn of the century, we have archive booklets on Campaigning for Farm Animals along with teachers’ notes. We still have free hard copies of these available, as long as stocks last, if you would like to order a class set. Information of these and other resources can be found on our archive pages.

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FREE RESOURCES FOR RELIGIOUS STUDIES TEACHERS

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Mandala of the Universe

Our films and discussion activities are designed to stimulate thought and debate. There is a school of educational thought which believes that people learn more by talking than by listening! Unfortunately, not everyone can be persuaded to join in a class discussion.

However, there is a solution. Students who don’t like to say too much in front of a whole class will often happily discuss religious and philosophical issues in small groups.

To facilitate good discussion, whether for the whole class or for small groups, please download our provide films and other resources at the links below. You can also order a free DVDROM plus printed materials. Please specify RE or the subject you want this for.

Discussion activities

  • How Do Animals Matter? Opinions religious and secular – card activity to encourage discussion of a range of theological and secular opinions from our original Farm Animals’ & Us Teachers’ Pack
  • How Do Animals Matter? A range of philosophical viewpoints – another card exercise with a range of opinions designed to encourage open ended discussion, also from our original  Teachers’ Pack
  • Personality Test – pupils love quizzes! They can use this to analyse their philosophical approach to the use of animals for food. Should we put people first, safeguard the environment, prioritise animal welfare or respect the rights of animals?
  • How Should We Treat Farm Animals? – small group discussion activity which encourages students to consider the pros and cons of different systems for producing meat, milk and eggs including organic, free-range and intensive.

Films

  • Farm Animals & Us – 17 minute film for students aged 10 & over covering intensive and alternative farming methods and their effect on the welfare of farm animals
  • Farm Animals & Us 2 – 25 minute film for students aged 14 to adult which covers the same subject in more detail
  • A Life Worth Living – 5 minute film with five short sections of positive animal behaviour without commentary to encourage observation and discussion.

Further information

  • Religion and Factory Farming – the viewpoints of the main world religions on the subject of diets, sacrifice and our relationship with animals

Speaker service

You can also enrich your lessons by inviting a speaker to talk to your students. This service is available to schools and colleges in England and Wales, subject to availability. It is normally free. Some speakers appreciate travelling expenses if they have a way to come, but only if you have the budget for it.

View (PDF 0.14MB)
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Hens and Chickens Power Point

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Our PowerPoint Presentation is easy to use and considers the natural behaviours of hens, and the way that we farm them. It is aimed at children aged 7-11 (KS2) but can be adapted for younger ones.

The PowerPoint is designed to be interactive. Questions keep coming up – stop to discuss these before you get the answers! You might think of other things you would also like to discuss.

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Pigs Power Point

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Our PowerPoint presentation is easy to use and looks at different pig behaviours and ways of farming pigs. It opens up discussion around these topics and the benefits of higher welfare farming. It is aimed at children aged 7-11 (KS2) but can be adapted for younger ones.

The PowerPoint is designed to be interactive. Questions to ask the children come up throughout – stop to discuss these before you get the answers! You will probably think of some more things to discuss.

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Cows Power Point

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Our PowerPoint presentation is easy to use and looks at different cow behaviours and ways of farming cows. It opens up discussion around these topics and the benefits of higher welfare farming. It is aimed at children aged 7-11 (KS2) but can be adapted for younger ones.

The PowerPoint is designed to be interactive. Questions to ask the children come up throughout – stop to discuss these before you get the answers! You will probably think of some more things to discuss.

View (PPTX 23.70MB)
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Archive Resources

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Many teachers and students continue to use our older films and resources because of their power to stimulate discussion and debate.

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Chicken Meat White Striping TN

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White Striping Student Worksheet

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How to identify white striping student's worksheet

 

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20100406 08 Squarecrop Dutchbroiler Copyright Wakker Dier Credited (1)

Catergory 2

White Striping Power Point Presentation

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How to identify white striping in chicken meat power point presentation

 

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Cooked Chicken Breast

Catergory 2

White Striping Teacher's Notes

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How to identify white striping in chicken meat teacher's notes

 

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Close Up Of Intensive Broiler Chickens

Catergory 2

White Striping Student Discussion Booklet

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White Striping In Chicken Meat: students’ discussion booklet contains more detailed information and questions.

 

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White Chicken

Catergory 2

White Striping Student Evaluation Form

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White Striping In Chicken Meat: Student Evaluation Form

 

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Retailer supermarket image

Catergory 2

White Striping Supermarket Survey

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White Striping In Chicken Meat: Supermarket Survey

 

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Latest news section

This will bring up boxes with the latest news stories from the website it sits on. Eg added on a page on ciwf.fr, it would show the most recent news stories from ciwf.fr. The boxes take the image and title from the news stories themselves, and link directly to them.

Impact blocks

Impact blocks have a:

  • title
  • background title (optional)
  • image
  • description - this is plain text, so no hyperlinks, bold or italics etc
  • a button linking somewhere else.

Title

A short description

Link title
Title

Tabbed content block

These blocks have:

  • one background image (same for all tabs)
  • One title (same for all tabs)
  • An additional image for each tab
  • An additional title for each tab
  • A summary for each tab - this can include bullet points, hyperlinks, bold and italics
  • An optional link to another page for each tab

Tabbed content block

Tabbed content block

Tab 1 description. Can include hyperlinks.

Optional button
1. Tab 1 title

Tabbed content block

Tab 2 description. No button on this tab.

2. Tab 2 title

Campaign block

A campaign block will have a background image, along with a smaller image, plain text summary (no hyperlinks, bold or italics, bullet points, line breaks etc), and a link.

Action Icon
Title: campaign block

Summary about this block. Plain text.

Link title
18. Title: campaign block
Play videoPlay icon

Video content block

A video content block is much the same as a campaign block. It will have:

  • a background image
  • a smaller image (will have a play button over it)
  • plain text summary (no hyperlinks, bold or italics, bullet points, line breaks etc), and a link.

You can choose between our older green, our newer green, and dark grey for the background colour.

Action Icon
This is a video content block

This block has a light grey background colour selected, an optional backround image and a thumbnail for the video.

Take action
20. This is a video content block
Play videoPlay icon

Donation panel

For donation panels, you can choose:

  • A title
  • A background title
  • Some copy to go above the form. This can include hyperlinks and bold text
  • The background image
  • A message to go above the amounts for single gifts
  • A message to go above the amounts for regular gifts
  • The different price points for both single and monthly
  • Set the EN donation page that it should point to
  • Set the appeal codes to associate with donations through this form

Rich text content block with no sidebar

You can choose not to have the navigation menu next to a rich text content block, and instead make it full width. As this makes it much harder to read, we advise against doing this except in rare circumstances.

This is an RTE with no sidebar added

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. In pellentesque massa placerat duis ultricies. Amet dictum sit amet justo donec. Magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Amet justo donec enim diam vulputate. Nullam eget felis eget nunc lobortis mattis aliquam. Etiam tempor orci eu lobortis. Amet cursus sit amet dictum sit amet justo donec. Ac felis donec et odio pellentesque diam. Diam volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas fringilla phasellus. A lacus vestibulum sed arcu non odio euismod lacinia at.

Mauris in aliquam sem fringilla ut morbi. Sollicitudin aliquam ultrices sagittis orci. Arcu odio ut sem nulla pharetra. Nulla at volutpat diam ut. Sit amet purus gravida quis. Scelerisque fermentum dui faucibus in ornare quam. Vitae semper quis lectus nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis. Rhoncus est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. Tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis imperdiet proin fermentum. Dui sapien eget mi proin sed libero enim sed. Scelerisque felis imperdiet proin fermentum leo vel. Sed id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum. Vel orci porta non pulvinar neque laoreet suspendisse. Nibh nisl condimentum id venenatis a. Lorem dolor sed viverra ipsum nunc aliquet. Volutpat consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit. Cursus risus at ultrices mi tempus imperdiet nulla. Vehicula ipsum a arcu cursus vitae congue mauris rhoncus.

Share buttons

This can be added in a content group with sidebar or at full width. WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Email buttons are available.

You enter the information without any encoding, for Facebook you enter the URL of the page you are sharing. The character limit is 280 for the other three buttons.

Two Column

This block is made up of rows and columns. In each block you can add multiple rows, each containing two columns. Inside a single column you can add all and multiple of these optional elements, all are draggable for re-ordering:

  • H2 title
  • Image + alt text (with optional caption)
  • RTE (including macros, however please utilise the image block over image macro)
  • HTML embed (this element requires a specific file type and must be done via digi).

There are three display options:

  • Default: the same width as page content that has a sidebar
  • Wide: wider than default, but not spanning the full-width of the page
  • Full Width: the full width of the page, images will go to the very edge of the page

H2 Title - Full Width Display

Left column of the first row, on mobile the left column will stack first, then the right column.

A simple RTE block with macros available.

Fish are the most utilised animals on Earth. Up to three trillion individuals are killed for food every year. They are able to feel pain, pleasure and other emotions throughout their lives. Despite this, fish receive very little legal protection and are either farmed in terrible conditions or caught using extremely cruel methods.

System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at Umbraco.Web.PublishedContentExtensions.GetPropertyValue[T](IPublishedContent content, String alias, Boolean recurse, Boolean withDefaultValue, T defaultValue)
   at Umbraco.Web.PublishedContentExtensions.GetPropertyValue[T](IPublishedContent content, String alias)
   at CIWF.Web.Models.PictureElement..ctor(IPublishedContent mediaItem, Int32 maxWidth, Int32 maxHeight, String altText, IDictionary`2 mediaSizes, IDictionary`2 htmlAttributes, ImageCropMode cropMode, String additionalCropOptions, String[] cssClasses, Uri baseUri) in D:\Repositories\compassion\CIWF.Web\Models\PictureElement.cs:line 99
   at CIWF.Web.Models.PictureElement..ctor(IPublishedContent mediaItem, Int32 maxWidth, Int32 maxHeight, String altText, IDictionary`2 mediaSizes, IDictionary`2 htmlAttributes, ImageCropMode cropMode, String additionalCropOptions, String[] cssClasses, Uri baseUri) in D:\Repositories\compassion\CIWF.Web\Models\PictureElement.cs:line 63
   at CIWF.Web.Extensions.PublishedContentExtensions.GetPictureElement(IPublishedContent content, Int32 maxWidth, Int32 maxHeight, String altText, IDictionary`2 mediaSizes, IDictionary`2 htmlAttributes, ImageCropMode cropMode, String additionalCropOptions, String[] cssClasses, Uri baseUri) in D:\Repositories\compassion\CIWF.Web\Extensions\PublishedContentExtensions.cs:line 127
   at ASP._Page_Views_Partials_grid_editors_media_cshtml.Execute() in E:\inetpub\www.ciwf.org.uk\Views\Partials\grid\editors\media.cshtml:line 28
   at System.Web.WebPages.WebPageBase.ExecutePageHierarchy()
   at System.Web.Mvc.WebViewPage.ExecutePageHierarchy()
   at System.Web.WebPages.WebPageBase.ExecutePageHierarchy(WebPageContext pageContext, TextWriter writer, WebPageRenderingBase startPage)
   at Umbraco.Core.Profiling.ProfilingView.Render(ViewContext viewContext, TextWriter writer)
   at System.Web.Mvc.Html.PartialExtensions.Partial(HtmlHelper htmlHelper, String partialViewName, Object model, ViewDataDictionary viewData)
   at ASP._Page_Views_Partials_grid_editors_base_cshtml.Execute() in E:\inetpub\www.ciwf.org.uk\Views\Partials\grid\editors\base.cshtml:line 20
A brown piglet in the grass

Optional title

A new row in the same block, image left and text right.

Pigs are believed to have been domesticated from wild boar as early as 9000 years ago. They were originally native to Europe and parts of Asia but have, over the centuries, been introduced to many parts of the world.

Take action

Wide display

Multiple blocks in each column in the same row will flow one after the other. 

On mobile, all of the left column will display before the right column.

Optional image caption - this will get improved styling

Optional image caption - this will get improved styling

Bos taurus (European cattle) are descended from the Auroch that lived in Northern Europe. They were domesticated as long ago as the Neolithic age and have been kept as livestock ever since for their meat, milk and hides.

Historically there was less distinction between dairy cattle and beef cattle, with the same breeds used for both milk and meat. However, in the developed world today farmers generally keep either beef or dairy cattle. Through generations of selection, dairy breeds such as the Holstein, are bred specifically to produce very high volumes of milk.

Keep titles short

Factory farming is by far the world’s biggest cause of animal cruelty

Every year, 80 billion chickens, pigs, cows, and other farmed animals are produced worldwide, and two-thirds of them are factory farmed. Also known as intensive or industrial animal agriculture, factory farming involves animals being reared in confinement whilst their feed is grown elsewhere. This is usually on prairie-like crop fields using chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers, at great cost to our health, the environment, and animal welfare.

Caged chickens have so little space that they are unable to flap their wings. Pigs are kept in narrow crates or crowded pens, unable to burrow their snouts in the dirt. And cows stand listlessly in crowded feedlots or indoor dairies instead of grazing in green fields.

  1. Lists can be added to this block
  2. Using numbered or bullet styles

Default width

Video inserted via the YouTube macro

Right now, factory farming prioritises profit over the welfare of animals, ignoring the fact they feel fear, pain and even joy, just as we do.

By replacing this cruel system with a humane, sustainable approach to farming, we can make sure all farm animals are treated with the kindness and respect they deserve.

Globe

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If you have any further questions regarding this, or any other matter, please get in touch with us at supporters@ciwf.org.uk. We aim to respond to all queries within two working days. However, due to the high volume of correspondence that we receive, it may occasionally take a little longer. Please do bear with us if this is the case. Alternatively, if your query is urgent, you can contact our Supporter Engagement Team on +44 (0)1483 521 953 (lines open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm).