Factory farming remains a dominant but highly controversial practice, with significant concerns around animal welfare, environmental degradation, and public health. Despite growing opposition, legislative progress has been slow due to industry lobbying and political inertia. One way to bridge this gap could be through a dual-track approach that combines direct democracy campaigns with targeted policy advocacy, aiming to phase out factory farming in high-income countries by 2050.

How It Could Work

The initiative could operate on two parallel tracks:

• Direct Democracy: In regions where ballot initiatives or referendums are possible (e.g., Switzerland, certain U.S. states), measures could be proposed to ban or phase out factory farming. This might include stricter welfare standards, bans on new factory farms, or prohibitions on imports of factory-farmed products.
• Policy Advocacy: In areas without direct democracy, lobbying efforts could push for incremental reforms, such as reducing stocking densities or banning extreme confinement practices like gestation crates.

The long-term goal would be to align with broader climate and animal welfare targets, gradually eliminating factory farming in high-income countries.

Stakeholders and Incentives

Key stakeholders include:

• Animal welfare and environmental groups: Likely to support the initiative due to alignment with their missions.
• Governments: Could be incentivized by shifting public opinion and potential economic benefits, such as green jobs in alternative agriculture.
• Farmers: Might resist due to economic concerns, but subsidies or transition programs could ease the shift to higher-welfare practices.
• Agribusiness: Likely to oppose, but campaigns could counter this by emphasizing consumer demand and public health benefits.

Execution and Challenges

A pilot phase could start in favorable regions (e.g., California or Switzerland) to test messaging and build credibility. Coalition-building with environmental and public health organizations could broaden support. Challenges like industry opposition or voter apathy might be addressed by simplifying messaging (e.g., "End Animal Cruelty") and proposing just transition programs for affected farmers.

This approach could uniquely combine direct democracy with advocacy, offering a pathway to systemic change where traditional lobbying has struggled. Early successes in ballot regions could create a template for scaling efforts elsewhere.