Meaning & use

factory farmed

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈfæktəri fɑːmd/
US/ˈfæktəri fɑrmd/

Meaning

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    raised in a large, industrial system where many animals are kept indoors in crowded, tightly controlled conditions to produce meat, eggs or milk cheaply.

    Grammar: Usually before a noun: factory-farmed chicken; after a verb it is less common: the eggs were factory farmed.

    Patterns

    • factory-farmed meat
    • be factory farmed

    She stopped buying factory-farmed chicken after watching the documentary.

    Most cheap eggs in the shop are factory farmed.

    The restaurant promises that none of its pork is factory farmed.

Common combinations

factory-farmed meat
Factory-farmed meat is usually cheaper than free-range.
factory-farmed eggs
They avoid factory-farmed eggs for ethical reasons.
factory-farmed chicken
Factory-farmed chicken is common in fast food.
factory-farmed animals
Factory-farmed animals often have little room to move.
not factory farmed
The label says the salmon is not factory farmed.

Synonyms and how they differ

intensively farmed
Intensively farmed is a neutral technical phrase, whereas factory farmed sounds more critical.
industrially farmed
Industrially farmed stresses the industrial scale and is less emotive.
battery-farmed
Battery-farmed refers to animals kept in cages, especially hens, so it is narrower.

Opposites

free-rangeorganicpasture-raised

Word family

factory farm noun
an industrial farm with intensive methods
factory farming noun
the practice of raising animals this way
farm verb
to grow crops or raise animals
farmer noun
a person who farms

Commonly confused: factory farmed or free-range?

factory farmed vs free-range

Free-range animals can go outdoors, while factory farmed animals are usually kept indoors.

Practice

Which label is the opposite of factory farmed?

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