By Faridat Salifu
World Animal Protection (WAP) has urged governments around the world to stop subsidising industrial livestock production, warning that such support is worsening deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss.
The call was made in a new report titled “Subsidising Factory Farm Harm,” released ahead of COP30. The report exposes how countries including China, the United States, India, and members of the European Union continue to direct billions of dollars in public funds toward factory farming a system the group says harms animals, small-scale farmers, and the environment.
According to WAP, agriculture accounts for up to 34 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but remains one of the most heavily subsidised sectors in the world, second only to fossil fuels.
In Africa, the report notes that most agricultural input subsidies favour large-scale producers rather than smallholder farmers who supply the majority of the continent’s food.
“We can’t keep pouring taxpayer money into food systems that are not fit for purpose,” said Kelly Dent, WAP’s Director of External Engagement. “Factory farms pollute our climate, destroy biodiversity, and put animals through immense suffering. The future is in fair farms, not factory farms.”
The report warns that if current patterns persist, agriculture could account for 52 percent of global emissions by 2050. It identifies subsidised production of beef, soy (used for animal feed), and palm oil as drivers of about 14 percent of global deforestation.
In Brazil the host of COP30 subsidies to the beef industry are estimated at $3.1 billion annually, nearly offsetting the sector’s total tax contribution. In the European Union, WAP estimates that redirecting just half of the $88.5 billion currently spent on factory farms could save 25 million megalitres of water and 19 million hectares of land every year.
Closer to home, the organisation highlights successful examples in Kenya, where integrated agroecological farms combining crops, livestock, and beekeeping have demonstrated both profitability and sustainability while reducing chemical use and improving animal welfare.
WAP called on world leaders gathering for COP30 to prioritise policies that support sustainable, humane, and climate-friendly farming systems, stressing that redirecting subsidies could help build fairer food systems and safeguard the planet’s future.
