A private commission says agriculture has to move away from large, industrial farms.

The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production reports that large farm facilities "often pose unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the animals themselves."

The commission's chairman, former Kansas Governor John Carlin, says the panel is not advocating a return to "what is perceived to be the good old days of the small family farm."

Carlin's group looked at issues such as the impact of livestock waste on lakes, streams and soil, the human health implications of the use of low-level antimicrobials for animal growth and the impact factory farms have on rural life.

Among its recommendations: the panel wants to see the phasing out of the widespread use of antimicrobials, which are thought to contribute to human resistance to antibiotics.