FACT was started in 1967 by Ruth Harrison, with the aim of improving the welfare of farm animals through research and education. In 1964, Ruth’s book Animal Machines shocked the public with its descriptions of ‘factory farming’ - hens in battery cages, veal calves in crates and sows in stalls. As a direct result of her book, the UK Government convened the Brambell Committee to look into the welfare of intensively housed farm animals and subsequently set up the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC). FAWC now advises the Government on the welfare of farmed animals. Many of the changes that have since taken place in the way animals are kept, such as the UK bans on veal crates and sow stalls and the EU ban on battery cages, owe their origin to Ruth’s pioneering vision and her determination to improve the lot of animals.
Ruth Harrison died in 2000, leaving FACT to continue her work.