About Us

Human Health and Industrial Farming Campaign

Three years ago, The Pew Charitable Trusts launched an independent national commission to assess the farm animal industry's impact on the public’s health, the environment, farm communities and animal health and well-being. In April 2008, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production released its recommendations. As part of its plan for a healthier, safer and more sustainable food supply, the Commission called for stricter regulation of antibiotic use in large-scale animal operations in order to preserve pharmaceutical efficacy in humans and to encourage more sanitary husbandry conditions. The Pew Health Group and the Pew Environment Group have taken up that call, launching an effort to eliminate the routine, nontherapeutic use of life-saving antibiotics in industrial livestock production.

The Pew Charitable Trusts

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.

Pew Health Group

The Pew Health Group aims to improve the health and well-being of all Americans with practical policy solutions developed through rigorous research and analysis. In a policy environment that is often polarized, we seek consensus for fundamental, positive change.

Pew Environment Group

The Pew Environment Group is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-governmental organization headquartered in the United States that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improving public policy, informing the public and stimulating civic life.

Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production

Pew partnered with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health to establish the independent Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

The commission’s goal was to conduct an assessment of the impact of the industry on public health, the environment, animal welfare and rural communities. As part of its mission, the commission produced a series of recommendations on ways to mitigate the negative impacts of industrialized livestock production, while simultaneously providing quality food products at reasonable prices to American consumers.

For more information, visit the Pew Commission on Farm Animal Production Web site.