Project Animal Farm by Sonia Faruqi Summary

Project Animal Farm is an investigative exposé of global animal agriculture, blending personal narrative with undercover reporting. Sonia Faruqi, a former Wall Street banker, documents her unexpected journey across farms in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Southeast Asia, revealing systemic animal cruelty, environmental harm, and health risks in both conventional and organic systems. The book combines firsthand accounts with research to challenge readers to rethink food production.

Sonia Faruqi is a Canadian author and investigative journalist with a background in finance. After leaving Wall Street during the 2008 crisis, she pivoted to writing, producing critically acclaimed works like Project Animal Farm and the fantasy novel The Oyster Thief. Her work has been endorsed by figures like Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee and animal rights pioneer Peter Singer.

This book is essential for animal welfare advocates, environmentalists, and ethically conscious consumers. It’s also valuable for food industry professionals and policymakers seeking to understand farming’s hidden costs. Faruqi’s accessible storytelling makes it engaging for general readers curious about where their food comes from.

Yes, particularly for readers new to food system issues. While some themes may mirror existing critiques, Faruqi’s visceral, sensory storytelling—like describing cows chained in excrement—offers a fresh perspective. Peter Singer praised it for revealing new insights even to experts.

The book highlights overcrowding, inhumane slaughter methods (e.g., animals skinned or boiled alive), and environmental damage like deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. Faruqi argues these practices harm animal welfare, human health, and ecosystems, urging systemic reform.

Yes. Faruqi exposes how even organic dairy farms in Canada confine cows indoors for 245 days yearly, despite marketing implying pastoral conditions. She challenges the assumption that “organic” guarantees ethical treatment.

Faruqi links factory farming to climate change, noting methane emissions from livestock and deforestation for feed crops. She contrasts this with sustainable alternatives, like Belizean pasture-based farms, which she presents as eco-friendly models.

Her investigation spanned Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Belize, Indonesia, and Malaysia. These visits revealed stark contrasts, such as Indonesian village chickens versus Malaysian industrial poultry systems.

Faruqi advocates for transparency, reduced meat consumption, and support for small-scale, pasture-based farms. She emphasizes consumer power to drive change through ethical purchasing.

Both expose factory farming, but Faruqi’s focus on global diversity—from Ontario dairies to Malaysian factories—adds a unique comparative lens. Her finance background also informs critiques of industry economics.

1. “Smelling it, hearing it, feeling it is very different” – Faruqi on sensory vs. abstract understanding of farm conditions.
2. “A commitment to change things” – Her call to action after witnessing cruelty.

While direct policy impacts aren’t detailed, the book has raised awareness among consumers and critics. It’s cited in debates about agricultural reform and ethical consumption.