Joint Letter to World Bank: Stop Financing Factory Farming (April 2025)

In April 2025, members of the Stop Financing Factory Farming campaign and 285 partner organizations, academics, and advocates from 59 countries wrote to World Bank Executive Directors, urging the institution to stop financing factory farming and align its policies with global climate, biodiversity, and development goals.

Factory farming directly undermines international frameworks like the Paris Agreement, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Global Biodiversity Framework. It accelerates climate change, drives deforestation, fuels the spread of zoonotic diseases, and worsens social and gender inequalities—especially for women and low-income communities living near industrial animal operations.

As the IFC prepares to revise its Sustainability Framework, this is a critical opportunity for the World Bank to lead by example. The letter calls on the Bank to:

– Formally exclude factory farming from future financing.
– Phase out existing investments and redirect funding toward sustainable, equitable food systems.

With the Bank’s stated commitment to addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development, bold action is needed to phase out support for industrial livestock and invest in more equitable, sustainable food systems that are better for people, animals, and the planet.

Use the link below to download and read the full letter.