We’re living in
the Age of UPA

Ultra-Processed Animals (UPAs) are animals raised in highly industrialised farming systems where biological processes are deliberately manipulated to maximise growth, efficiency and output. These systems rely on selective breeding for rapid growth, tightly controlled feed and the routine use of antibiotics to manage disease in intensive conditions.

For example, many modern livestock breeds are designed to grow far faster than animals historically did. Chickens raised for meat today can reach slaughter weight in a fraction of the time it once took, reflecting how modern production systems reshape the biology of the animals themselves.

In these systems, the shaping of the animal begins long before slaughter. Growth rates, metabolism and disease resistance are actively managed throughout the animal’s life. In effect, the production process starts while the animal is still alive – meaning the animal itself becomes the product of an industrial processing system rather than traditional husbandry.

The term Ultra-Processed Animals highlights this shift: the industrial processing of meat now begins before animals reach the slaughterhouse.

The difference lies in how the animals are produced before slaughter. In industrial livestock systems, animals are bred for rapid growth, raised in high-density environments and fed specialised diets designed to maximise efficiency. Antibiotics and other interventions are often used routinely to prevent disease and maintain productivity in intensive conditions.

These practices shape the biology of the animal throughout its life. Animals are bred to grow faster, reach larger sizes and convert feed into weight more quickly than traditional livestock breeds.

For example, modern meat chickens are bred to reach slaughter weight in just a few weeks – far faster than chickens raised in traditional farming systems. This reflects how modern production systems are designed to accelerate growth and shorten production cycles.

As a result, much of the “processing” associated with meat production now takes place while the animal is still alive, rather than only after slaughter. The term Ultra-Processed Animals reflects this shift in how meat is produced.

Ultra-Processed Animals are not a new phenomenon. Intensive, industrialised animal agriculture has been the norm for decades, and most animals raised for food today are produced in systems very different from traditional farming.

What is new is the language used to describe it. The term Ultra-Processed Animals puts a name to something that has largely gone unrecognised in public debate: the fact that processing often begins while the animal is still alive, not only after slaughter.

This has remained a major blind spot. Public attention has focused on ultra-processed foods, but much less on the way animals themselves are bred, fed and reared in industrial systems. As a result, the risks linked to these systems have remained largely hidden from view.

Ultra-Processed Animals are produced in systems designed to maximise growth and efficiency. These systems often involve high-density farming conditions, accelerated growth and the routine use of antibiotics to manage disease and maintain productivity.

Together, these practices create several risks for human health. The routine use of antibiotics in livestock contributes to the growing global problem of antimicrobial resistance, where bacteria evolve to survive medicines that once treated infections effectively.

Intensive farming systems can also increase the risk of infectious disease emerging and spreading among animals, particularly where large numbers of genetically similar animals are raised in close confinement.

These risks mean the way meat is produced can have consequences not only for animal production, but for wider public health.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria evolve so that antibiotics no longer work as effectively to treat infections. The routine use of antibiotics in intensive livestock production is one of the factors contributing to this growing global problem.

In high-density farming systems, antibiotics are often used not only to treat sick animals but also to prevent disease spreading through large populations of animals raised in confined conditions. This repeated exposure allows bacteria to adapt and develop resistance.

Once resistant bacteria emerge, they can spread beyond farms through food systems, the environment and human contact. Over time, this makes infections harder to treat and reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics that modern medicine depends on.

Intensive livestock systems can create conditions where infectious diseases are more likely to emerge and spread. Large numbers of animals are often raised in close confinement, sometimes with limited genetic diversity, which allows viruses and bacteria to circulate and evolve more easily.

When pathogens spread rapidly through dense animal populations, they have more opportunities to mutate and adapt. Some of these pathogens can cross from animals to humans – a process known as zoonotic transmission.

Many major infectious diseases have originated in animals. Intensive animal production systems therefore increase the opportunities for new diseases to emerge and spread, creating potential risks for global public health.

Antibiotics are widely used in intensive livestock production to control disease in crowded farming conditions and to maintain productivity. When large numbers of animals are raised in confined environments, infections can spread quickly, so antibiotics are often used routinely to prevent outbreaks.

This routine use means antibiotics are not only treating illness but also supporting the production system itself. Over time, frequent exposure to antibiotics allows bacteria to adapt and develop resistance.

As resistant bacteria emerge and spread, antibiotics that once treated infections effectively can become less effective. This contributes to the wider global problem of antimicrobial resistance, which is increasingly recognised as a major threat to modern medicine.

For most consumers, it is very difficult to know how the animals behind their food were raised. Meat products are rarely labelled in ways that reveal how animals were bred, fed or medicated during their lives.

Current labelling typically focuses on the type of meat and basic processing information, rather than the production systems used to raise the animals. As a result, practices such as accelerated growth, intensive confinement or routine antibiotic use are largely invisible to consumers at the point of purchase.

This lack of transparency makes it difficult for people to understand how their food was produced or to make informed choices about the meat they buy and eat.

Most food labelling rules are designed to tell consumers what a product is, not how the animal behind it was produced. Labels typically identify the type of meat, its origin and basic processing information, but they rarely explain how animals were bred, fed or treated during their lives.

This means consumers often cannot see whether animals were raised in intensive systems, how quickly they were bred to grow, or whether antibiotics were used routinely during production.

Without clear disclosure of production methods, many of the practices that shape modern livestock systems remain invisible at the point of purchase. Mandatory labelling would help address this gap by allowing consumers to understand how meat has been produced before it reaches supermarket shelves.

Industrial livestock production places significant pressure on land, water and other natural resources. Large quantities of crops are grown to feed animals rather than people, requiring vast areas of agricultural land and intensive use of fertilisers, pesticides and water.

These systems also generate substantial waste and pollution. Manure from large livestock operations can contaminate soil and waterways, while feed production and livestock farming contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Together, these impacts mean that modern animal production systems play a major role in shaping how land is used and how natural resources are consumed within the global food system.

There are regulations governing livestock farming, animal health and the use of veterinary medicines. However, most food regulations focus on safety and processing after slaughter rather than on how animals are bred and raised during their lives.

As a result, many of the practices used in modern industrial livestock production remain largely invisible to consumers. Current food labels rarely disclose how animals were raised, whether antibiotics were used routinely, or how production systems may have shaped the animal before slaughter.

This lack of transparency makes it difficult for people to understand how their food was produced or to make informed choices. That is why this campaign calls for stronger oversight of industrial livestock production and for mandatory labelling of production methods, so consumers can clearly see how meat has been produced before it reaches the supermarket shelf.

Understanding how food is produced is the first step. Much of the risk surrounding modern livestock production comes from systems that prioritise speed, scale and efficiency, while providing little visibility into how animals were raised.

Consumers currently have limited information about these production methods when buying meat. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to distinguish between different farming systems or understand the conditions under which animals were produced.

Greater transparency and clearer labelling would help people make more informed choices about the food they buy and eat. Access to reliable information about how meat is produced allows consumers to better understand the systems behind the food on their plates.

Addressing the risks associated with Ultra-Processed Animals begins with greater transparency about how meat is produced. Clear and accessible information about livestock production systems would allow consumers, policymakers and food producers to better understand the scale and nature of the issue.

One important step is the introduction of mandatory labelling of production methods, so consumers can see how animals were bred, raised and treated before entering the food system. This would make production practices visible in the same way that ingredients and nutritional information are already disclosed on many foods.

Beyond labelling, broader changes across the food system are needed. These include encouraging more sustainable farming practices, supporting alternative protein sources, and ensuring that retailers and food producers provide greater transparency about the products they sell.

Together, these steps would help shift food systems toward models that prioritise public health, environmental sustainability and long-term food security.

Mandatory labelling means requiring clear information on meat and animal products that explains how the animals were produced. This would include disclosure of key production practices such as the routine use of antibiotics, growth accelerants or other interventions used during the animal’s life.

At present, most labels tell consumers what type of meat they are buying, but reveal very little about how the animal was raised. This makes it difficult for people to understand the production systems behind the food they purchase.

Mandatory labelling would close this transparency gap. By providing clear and truthful information about production methods, consumers would be better able to understand how their food was produced and make informed choices about the meat and animal products they buy.

For articles relating to animal engineering and antibiotics click on the below: 

Broiler chicken growth rate increased over 400%
Modern broiler chickens have undergone a 300% increase
Genetic selection increased broiler growth rate by over 400%
Genetic composition of modern commercial strains associated with more negative welfare consequences
Global antibiotic use in livestock could reach ~143,500 tonnes by 2040
Sales of medically important antibiotics for livestock grew 10% between 2017 and 2023
Two-thirds of the estimated future growth in antimicrobial usage is expected within the animal production sector

For articles relating to warnings and labelling click on the below: 

Many meat producers are approved to use misleading claims without clear, standardised evidence
Shoppers incorrectly assume welfare labels ensure higher standards
FSIS updated guidance on substantiating claims
Current labels focus on product type rather than production methods
Focus group research found consumers criticise label ambiguity and desire benchmarks or ratings

For articles relating to antimicrobial resistance and disease transmission click on the below: 

Industrial aquaculture has reproduced the same structural problems as land-based factory farming
In chicken breasts tested, most Salmonella and Campylobacter found is now resistant to at least one class of antibiotics
Antibiotic residues have been found in meat, milk, eggs, honey
Traces of antibiotics used to prevent disease and promote growth in poultry can remain in meat and eggs consumed by humans
Non-compliance with withdrawal periods results in allergic reactions, teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, microbiota changes and antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics in food production are almost unavoidable
Up to 39 million deaths could result from bacterial AMR between 2025 and 2050
AMR-related deaths are projected to exceed ten million annually by 2050
The WHO warns AMR has reached alarming levels globally
Over two-thirds of medically important antimicrobials are used in animals

For articles relating to zoonotic disease and future pandemics please click on the below: 

Agricultural intensification practices are believed to have caused more than 50% of zoonotic infectious diseases
An estimated 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic
Intensive animal agriculture creates a ‘trap’ of zoonotic disease risks
An estimated 66% of all antibiotics globally are used in livestock
73% of meat companies assessed remain at high risk of fostering future pandemics