INSIGHT
WILL FACTORY FARMING CAUSE
THE NEXT PANDEMIC? The stakes have never been higher in the fight to end inhumane, unhealthy intensive farming – and a food revolution is in our sights.
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n the face of the devastating impact of COVID-19 and its effects on our daily lives, many have understandably yearned to get ‘back to normal’. But unfortunately, when it comes to factory farming, ‘normal’ could trigger the next global pandemic. As a Compassion supporter, you know all too well that intensive farms are the leading cause of global animal suffering, as well as being a major contributor to the climate crisis, wildlife habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
These farms are also breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria that threaten human health. Animals are often stressed, crowded, bred for unnaturally fast growth or high yields, and forced to live in their own faeces. With their immune systems frequently compromised, antibiotics may be overused to compensate for the unhealthy environment.
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All of these harmful farming practices increase the chances that viruses or bacteria will spread in animals, mutate and become deadly to humans. You know it’s time to fix this broken system – and now more people around the world are joining your call for a future free from factory farming. Through Compassion’s teams across Europe, the UK and the USA, we’ve launched a global petition, calling for a revolution in the way food is produced. We are urging influential international bodies, including the United Nations, the World Bank, and the World Health Organisation, to replace factory farming with a food system that respects animals, nurtures our planet, and reduces the risk of pandemics. Farm animals should be kept in higher welfare systems that rear more robust breeds, without overcrowding.
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The focus must be on regenerative agriculture, including mixed farming where grazing and arable crops are rotated. This will enrich soil quality and biodiversity, reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and improve animal health. For humans to live within the world’s resources, there must also be a global reduction in the consumption of animal products. We need to stop feeding humanedible grains to intensively-farmed animals – who provide fewer calories and less protein than they eat – and instead move towards nutritious human diets centred on plants and plant proteins. This transformation of our food system is vital for the wellbeing of animals and the environment. It also means that viruses are less likely to spread, mutate and multiply.
