The 26-storey pig farm in Ezhou, Hubei Province, operational since October 2022, can house up to 650,000 pigs and slaughter 1.2 million annually, driven by China’s demand for pork, which accounts for 60% of global consumption, as per a 2023 FAO report.
This vertical farming innovation, managed by Hubei Zhongxin Kaiwei, uses controlled environments to optimize space and reduce disease risks, contrasting with traditional outdoor farming where African Swine Fever outbreaks killed 40% of China’s pig population in 2018-2019, per a 2020 study in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.
Critics highlight welfare concerns, noting that confinement limits natural behaviors like movement, with a 2021 MDPI study showing caged pigs exhibit higher stress levels, raising ethical questions about scaling such systems globally.
