Why industrial farm animals could be the source of the next pandemic
Why should you care about stressed farm animals? They could help spark the next pandemic.
Although we’re slowly edging towards the end of the COVID-19 emergency in Canada, virus experts tell us the next pandemic is not a matter of if, but when.
Epidemiologist Rob Wallace believes the way we’re farming meat animals in industrial conditions will not only create more deadly viruses, called pathogens, but that the next one might kill a billion people.
Industrial farmed animals are kept in extremely tight quarters with little or no outdoor access. Those conditions allow any virus to easily jump from one animal to the next. That’s also the reason humans have been told to physically distance during this pandemic. But Wallace says it’s not only the speed at which these deadly viruses can grow.
“You end up selecting for much more dangerous pathogens,” he told W5, adding, “We've seen a documented increase in the number and types of pathogens that are spilling over into human populations, primarily out of industrial raised livestock and poultry.”
About 75 per cent of new infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they started in animals. They’re responsible for about one billion illnesses and millions of deaths every year.
The stress that those packed animals in industrial farming are under also plays a huge role. The higher the stress an animal is subjected to, the less they’re able to fight new diseases.
“If animals are commercially farmed a virus can spread through them like wildfire,” virologist Angie Rasmussen told W5. Asked if we’re going to see more viruses spreading from animals to humans in the future, she emphasized one word: “Absolutely.”
Virologist Angie Rasmussen on W5
What can be done to help slow the inevitable? None of the experts we spoke with said the answer would be to stop eating meat. Instead, they underlined that we should be aware of where our meat comes from, since animals raised in less cramped, less stressful conditions and lived mainly outside had less chance of spreading disease.
That’s also what free-range pig farmer Joanna Shepherd believes in. “I grew up on a family farm in the UK ... and we had pigs that were chained by the neck, which is how it was done in the seventies. And I didn't like that,” she told W5. “So I thought there's a better way than doing it like that. So now we have gone completely opposite.”
Her small herd of about 50 pigs live outside, root around and wallow in the mud. She feels it’s a more natural way for them to live until they end up on the dinner plate. “It makes them happy. It makes them taste better, too.”
Farming animals in a more natural environment doesn’t come cheap, though, and Joanna knows she could make more by industrializing. But for her, that’s not an option. “If it saves one pig going through an industrial lifestyle ... I feel better about that,” she said.
It’s not the common corporate way, though. With increased demand for meat, industrial farms are getting bigger and bigger. One pork producer in China has built a multi-story mega farm that looks like an enclosed high rise car park -- with nearly two million pigs coming out of it every year. The massive numbers are also seen in the bottom line, with the company’s profit jumping by more than 1,400 per cent.
“There's a lot of money to be made to keep the system going in this direction,” said Rob Wallace. He adds it’s not only profits that are rising and viruses increasing from massive farms, they’re also breeding for deadlier viruses. “It's not done on purpose. It's just that the economic model under which they organize are directly related toward moving as much protein to the market as fast as possible,” he told W5.
Epidemiologist Rob Wallace (W5)
Wallace notes the time to prevent the next pandemic is now. “We are at a historical crossroads,” he said, “because if we don't do anything, then it's very well likely that we'll have multiple outbreaks and pandemics that can do considerable damage, perhaps even more than COVID 19.”
As relieved as we all are to get near the end of COVID-19, Angie Rasmussen cautions we shouldn’t let our guard down, but learn from it to help prevent the next pandemic. If not, she said, “We are at risk of becoming complacent as we've been in the past.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
Local Spotlight
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Toronto-area dessert shop featured by Keith Lee forced to move after zoning complaint
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
'Oh Crap!' New exhibit at Canada Science and Technology Museum explores human waste
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
Regina police hope new biometric monitoring system will save lives in detention facility
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors bet on who will win Round 2 of the playoffs. Here's what's at stake
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
'No other life taken': Mother leads ATV helmet drive to honour daughter's legacy
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
P.E.I. lighthouse, N.B. river spotlighted in Canada Post series
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.