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
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
Local Spotlight
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
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.