California is one of the largest factory farming states in the nation, with over 80 million animals living in factory farms, including more dairy cows than any other state. The state has faced serious harms caused by factory farming, from water shortages in rural communities to the deaths of millions of birds from the spread of avian flu, which also spread to over 70% of all dairy herds in the state and infected dozens of dairy workers. California has also been at the epicenter of the fight against factory farming.

The California-based animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) published an interactive map and database of the 1300+ largest factory farms in California, sharing exactly where these operations are, how many animals they confine, their greenhouse gas emissions, and the consumer brands they supply. The database is the most comprehensive single source of information on California's enormous factory farming industry. It consolidates open source data from sources including the California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS) and California Air Resources Board, as well as manual research and investigative fieldwork such as following transport trucks between facilities to uncover supply chains that are not disclosed to the public.

With this map, people can search specific brands and find the operations behind them; see factory farms in their area and their pollution footprint; trace taxpayer-funded bailouts for factory farm disease outbreaks; and view photos and videos of how millions of animals are living in our state. DxE hopes this new resource will build further public support to phase out factory farming in the state.

Map of California Factory Farms Exposes Hidden Supply Chains Behind “Humane” Labels | Factory Farm Watch | Direct Action Everywhere