Intensive livestock farming could raise the risk of new pandemics, researchers have warned. Industrialized farming is often thought to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases (those transmitted from animals to humans) because of better control, biosecurity and separation of livestock. The new study, led by the University of Exeter, examines the effect of social and economic factors – which are often overlooked in traditional assessments.
It finds that the effects of intensifying agriculture "are at best uncertain and at worst may contribute to EID (emerging infectious disease) risk". The COVID-19 pandemic reignited interest in EIDs, especially zoonotic viruses. The risks of emergence and transmission depend on multiple factors, including contact between humans and animals, and how we use land.
Livestock farming plays a potentially significant role in those risks, shaping landscapes and providing hosts that can act as the source or amplifiers of emerging pathogens." Steve Hinchliffe, Lead Author, Professor from the University of Exeter While such risks are usually assessed in terms of microbiological, ecological and veterinary sciences, the new study highlights the need to consider social, economic and political factors. "Disease is always more than a matter of pathogen transmission, contact and contagion," Professor Hinchliffe said.
"The founding myth in intensive farming is that we separate livestock from wildlife and thereby shut off the risk of diseases passing between them.