Tell USDA factory farming isn't natural - World Society for the Protection of Animals

Living cramped in a cage or crate without fresh air, sunlight or freedom of movement doesn’t sound very natural does it? Yet, earlier this year the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a voluntary standard that allows producers to put a “naturally raised” label on meat and meat products from animals raised in this manner.

The new standard requires that “naturally raised” animals not receive growth promotants (hormones), antibiotics or be fed animal by-products. But it makes no demands on meat producers to provide natural living conditions, which means animals could be raised in a factory-farm setting where they are confined to a small space and have their tails, beaks and/or teeth docked or clipped.

The “naturally raised” claim only adds to the confusion that already exists around the word “natural,” which to the USDA merely means no artificial ingredients were added during processing. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) opposed this label standard from the start and is now asking concerned consumers to let the USDA know that such a standard for “naturally raised” meat is misleading and inconsistent with public perception of the term.


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I believe that the new “naturally raised” claim for meat and meat products misleads consumers about how animals used to produce the foods were treated. The claim should not allow for intensive confinement, early weaning or physical mutilations like tail docking, beak trimming and teeth clipping. The claim should require what most people consider to be natural living conditions – free access to fresh air, sunlight and the ability to perform natural behaviors.

While the stated intent of the new standard was to minimize confusion around “natural” meat labels, it does the exact opposite. I urge the USDA to redraft the “naturally raised” definition to better address animal welfare, and to require that the standard apply to all meat products making that claim.