Beyond Factory Farming : Corporate Hog Barns and the Threat to Public Health, the Environment, and Rural Communities

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives was founded in 1980 as a venue for envisioning and presenting nonpartisan solutions to economic and social issues in the country. CCPA’s Saskatchewan branch was formed in 2001, and this volume constitutes its first book-length publication. The book contains ten papers presented by academics, environmentalists, and farmers from Canada and the United States at a 2002 National Conference on Intensive Livestock Operations held in Saskatoon. The presenters critique corporate hog barns from multiple angles (including odor complaints, worker safety, and threatening small-scale farming operations) as well as the government legislation that supports corporate interests. They also offer suggestions for protecting local farms and communities (through activism or education, for example) or improving conditions in corporate settings (through unionization, for example). Includes references, charts, and graphs.