The way the United States raises animals for food has changed dramatically in recent decades with
the development of industrial food animal production (IFAP), an outgrowth of the overall
industrialization of the nation’s agriculture. The trend in animal agriculture has been toward fewer
operations, more animals raised on each one and fewer corporations controlling most aspects of
the supply chain—from breeding to feed production to slaughter to the marketing of meat, milk
and eggs. Although IFAP has some economic benefits, much of the burden of producing animal
products in an industrialized system is externalized in the form of public health, environmental
and social costs. Some farmers raise animals using alternative methods that strive to be more
sustainable. These farms raise animals primarily outdoors, in more diversified operations that
tend to be smaller-scale, allow more space per animal and avoid feed additives such as hormones
and antibiotics. Some of the issues seen in land-based animal production are also present in the
production of aquatic animals, though this type of production also presents unique problems and
opportunities.