This 2008 report by the Pew Commission concludes our current system of food production creates an unacceptable level of risk to public health, damage to the environment, and leads to vast amounts of unnecessary animal suffering. The authors found researching the topic of animal agriculture (mostly animals raised in mega-industrial farms, or CAFOs) extremely difficult, due the power of an agro-industrial complex, an alliance of agriculture trade groups, academics whose research is funded by Big Ag corporations, and legislators who are friendly to Big Ag manufacturers in their states.