National Farm Animals Day Date in the current year: April 10, 2024

The development of agriculture about 12,000 years ago greatly changed the way that humans lived and resulted in the domestication of many animal species. The first livestock to be domesticated were cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep. For a long time, most farms were small and family-owned, and most farmers cared for their animals well because providing a quality environment for farm animals was beneficial for farmers.

However, the emergence of intensive animal farming, also called factory farming by its opponents, has changed the situation. The main goal of factory farming is to produce large quantities of meat, milk and eggs while minimizing costs. Most factory farms do not prioritize animal welfare, which often leads to farm animal abuse. Sure, they keep their animals alive until they grow large enough to be slaughtered or until they keep producing milk or eggs, but being alive does not necessarily equal thriving.

Animals on farm factories are often forced to ensure extreme confinement and will attack each other due to being under stress. To prevent injury that may lead to infection, their beaks or teeth may be removed. Pigs and cows are often tail-docked; the procedure is usually performed without anesthesia and causes them immense pain. Sows (female pigs) are forced to procreate as often as possible, which leads to severe health complications. And these are just a few examples of cruel practices on factory farms.

National Farm Animals Day was founded in 2005 by Colleen Paige, an American pet and family lifestyle expert who is known as the creator of a plethora of animal-related observances including National Dog Day, National Cat Day, National Puppy Day, National Black Dog Day, National Pet Day, National Horse Protection Day, National Mutt Day, and National Wildlife Day.

Paige created National Farm Animals Day to highlight the importance of farm animals, raise awareness of the horrible living conditions on some factory farms, advocate for the humane care and treatment of farm animals, promote sustainable farming, and raise funds for charities that rescue abused and neglected farm animals.

There are many ways to get involved with National Farm Animals Day and raise awareness. You can learn more about illegal and cruel practices on factory farms and share the facts you’ve learned with others, donate to an organization that advocates for the rights of farm animals, volunteer at your local farm animal sanctuary, consider going vegetarian or vegan, support local farmers who treat their animals well, and spread the word about the observance on social media with the hashtags #NationalFarmAnimalsDay and #FarmAnimalsDay.

National Farm Animals Day should not be confused with World Day for Farmed Animals. The latter has been observed on October 2 (Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday) since 1983 to stop the slaughter of animals on factory farms and encourage people to go vegetarian or vegan.