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
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
BREAKING Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Fire engulfs old Edmonton municipal airport hangar
A historical hangar at the former Edmonton municipal airport beside the NAIT main campus was on fire Monday night.
Soft skills, preparation can help new graduates land jobs, experts say
As new graduates enter the workforce over the next few weeks, they are likely to face challenges getting their foot in the door and must be prepared to effectively communicate what they bring to the company.
Local Spotlight
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.