An Animal Rights/Vegan Activists' Strategies Article used with permission from All-Creatures.org

Stockfree Farming announces the publication of their latest research paper, which examines the effect of livestock farming on farmers' mental health.

Farmers Reveal the Emotional Trauma of Sending Animals to Slaughter
From StockFreeFarming.org
August 2025

Photo from Canva

We’re excited to announce the much anticipated publication of our latest research paper, ‘Death by a thousand cuts’: The Role of Moral Distress and Moral Injury in Farmer Mental Ill-Health’, just released in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. This study explores a previously under-examined aspect of the UK’s farming mental health crisis: the emotional and moral distress of caring for animals destined for slaughter.

Survey responses from 287 UK participants who currently or previously worked in agriculture or related fields, including 115 current or former livestock farmers, revealed that over half (56%) of livestock farmers feel “extremely” to “moderately” morally concerned about their work; 45% admit to suppressing feelings of compassion towards their animals; and 35% have felt traumatised by some aspects of their work involving animals.

Contrary to dominant narratives about farmer resistance to change, a substantial portion of participants (63%) expressed openness to reducing livestock numbers, and 49% would consider stopping livestock farming entirely if financially viable alternatives were accessible. The publication recommends a comprehensive package of policy measures aimed at offering farmers choice around change.

[Read the paper here.]

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: August 27, 2025
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