Swine flu - is factory farming the culprit?
As the world faces the prospect of a flu pandemic, Compassion in World Farming has called upon global authorities to investigate the origin of this deadly virus. Virologists have confirmed that the new virus originated in pigs, raising concerns over the possible role of factory farming methods in the development and spread of highly pathogenic viruses.
As news of the virus broke, Compassion wrote immediately to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), demanding a thorough investigation – arguing that without a clear understanding of the evolution of this deadly virus, and the role factory farming could play in its development, it would be impossible to prevent future pandemics.
Philip Lymbery, Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming, said "This is clearly a serious situation. It makes good sense to question the wisdom of the large-scale factory farming of animals, which surely provides an ideal pressure-cooker breeding ground for new and dangerous strains of disease."
Compassion is in prominent company in questioning the role of factory farming in the causation of disease. Scientists have linked the human flu strain to that circulating in pig farms. Across the world, members of parliament, scientists, media and non-profit organisations have raised their voices to expose the possibility that farming animals in unnatural and inhumane ways could be a breeding ground for disease.
Could factory farming of pigs be the trigger for the current deadly outbreak of swine flu?
In factory farms, thousands of pigs are crammed together in darkened sheds where they spend their lives often covered in filth on concrete and slatted floors. In such conditions, disease can spread rapidly and in each shed there are multiple opportunities for the viruses to mutate as they move from pig to pig.
PIG FACTORY FARM footage
In 2005, Compassion in World Farming filmed at two farms in Poland which at the time were owned by US giant, Smithfield.
Slurry, a mix of pig faeces and urine, collects in huge stinking lagoons.
The H1N1 virus was first discovered in a North Carolina factory farm in 1998. The virus has circulated in pig populations for decades, and is now one of the most common causes of respiratory disease on North American pig farms.
Dr. Robert Webster, one of the world’s leading experts of flu virus evolution, blames the emergence of the 1998 virus on the "recently evolving intensive farming practice in the USA, of raising pigs and poultry in adjacent sheds with the same staff," a practice he calls "unsound."
The New Scientist has described the rapidly intensifying European pig industry as "a recipe for disaster." The high numbers and concentrations of animals on many factory farms give a virus greater opportunity to mutate into highly pathogenic forms.
A European Commission-funded researcher studying the situation in Europe stated that “influenza [in pigs] is closely correlated with pig density”. The European Commission’s agricultural directorate warns that the “concentration of production is giving rise to an increasing risk of disease epidemics”.
Previous disease outbreaks
Compassion in World Farming has previously assessed the role of factory farming in the development and spread of avian influenza and found that the high densities on many chicken farms have been a significant contributing factor. Transport of farm animals over long distances may also contribute to the spread of diseases. According to experts, the rapid dissemination of the 1998 swine flu outbreak in the US was a result of long-distance live animal transport.
Previous large scale disease outbreaks, such as the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK, led to mass slaughter of animals in order to control the disease. Compassion in World Farming is concerned that, should such measures be deemed necessary in this case, they may result in significant animal suffering. Compassion in World Farming is therefore in communication with world animal health authorities to ensure that any emergency slaughter of animals is not only swift, but also efficient and humane.
Recent Investigations
Our Europe-wide investigation into pig welfare standards reveals shocking images of barren pig pens with European law frequently broken, including in several British farms despite UK claims to highest welfare.
In virtually all of the 60 farms we visited across Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain and the UK we found poor welfare. Most of the sows – the mother pigs – that were seen were kept in stalls so narrow that they cannot even turn round. Most fattening pigs are packed into overcrowded barren, often dirty pens.
Compassion in World Farming is working tirelessly to improve conditions for pigs and to end factory farming worldwide. But right now, too many animals continue to live bleak, painful lives marked by cruelty and suffering. And that’s where you come in. By supporting Compassion in World Farming today, you could help us take a step towards ending factory farming worldwide.
TOGETHER WE CAN STOP FACTORY FARMING. TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THE LIVES OF BILLIONS.
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