Factory Farm
Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal farming for the purpose of maximizing production while minimizing cost.
“Factory farming is a system of farming which involves keeping animals indoors, often with very little space, and giving them special foods so that they grow more quickly or produce more eggs or milk.” [mainly British]
A large industrialized farm especially: a farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at a minimal cost.
CAFO – Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation
The term CAFO is a term more often used in the US and represents a factory farm that meets the EPA regulatory definitions of what is a large, medium or small operation depending on the quantity, species of the animal farmed and other factors.
A Large CAFO confines at least the number of animals described in the table linked.
A Medium CAFO falls within the size range in the table linked and either:
• has a manmade ditch or pipe that carries manure or wastewater to surface water;
• the animals come into contact with surface water that passes through the area where they’re confined.
If an operation is found to be a significant contributor of pollutants, the permitting authority may designate a
medium-sized facility as a CAFO. A Small CAFO confines fewer than the number of animals listed in the table and has been designated as CAFO by the permitting authority as a significant contributor of pollutants.
