Factory Farming Protest

On Saturday, January 22, 2011, the second day of the International Green Week food and agriculture fair, more than 22,000 people demonstrated against factory farming, genetic modification technology, and mass food production in Berlin, Germany. Represented by animal-rights activists, farmers, and food-business organizations, the protest also responded to the recent dioxin scandal that required closing nearly 1,000 farms. “We are fed up” and “We’ve had enough—no to genetic engineering, factory farming, and export dumping” were two mottos protestors chanted. Friends of the Earth, the world’s largest grassroots environmental network, reminded protestors that agricultural decisions made in Europe would have “strong repercussions for those in the developing world.”