For as long as humans have eaten meat and industrialised its production, animal-borne diseases have existed and thrived. While some diseases such as salmonella, campylobacter, and enterohaemorrhagic escherichia coli which arise from eggs, poultry, and other products of animal origin are particularly harmful and very often fatal to humans, other diseases such as African Swine Fever (ASF) do not impact human life directly but have proven deadly to pig populations around the world. On the one hand animal-borne diseases from the meat industry have directly impacted human and animal lives, while on the other, the use of antibiotics on healthy animals in meat production is contributing to an alarming rise in antibiotic resistance, considered to be amongst the leading public health crises today. In this post, we present the wide-reaching impact animal agriculture and meat production has on human and animal health.
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease inof domestic and wild pigs. The cause of ASF isIt is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family., and It is transmitteds through direct contact with infected domestic or wild pigs, indirect contact, through ingestion of contaminated material, contaminated fomites, or biological vectors (soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros) where present. While the disease is not a threat to human health, it is responsible for the deaths of millions of pigs and also for large-scale economic and production losses.
Through the latter half of 2018 and all of 2019, ASF has ravaged China’sthe pig population of China and had lasting impacts on its economy. The disease, which has no known vaccine, is estimated to shrink China’s and Vietnam’s pig populations by roughly 55% and 25%, respectively, by the end of 2019. Not only is the disease spreading fast and decimating pig populations, history suggests it is notoriously hard to contain, with Spain taking 35 years to eradicate the disease and Sardinia, an island in Italy, struggling to do the same for four decades now. With China accounting for about half of the world’s pig population and consumption, the impact of this disease is going to be severe not only on their domestic economy, but also on the global markets. It was estimated that Aas of August 2019, the increase in the retail prices of Chinese pork resulted in a 10% increase in the food price index. Other estimates have found that Chinese pork prices have risen by nearly 70%, resulting not only in a 3% jump in inflation domestically, but also contributing to a hike in global prices.
Antimicrobial resistance is considered to be one of the biggest threats to public health, food security, and economic development today. Antibiotic or antimicrobial resistance occurs when medicines which are used to treat bacterial infections stop working. This happens because the bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines, and --becominge resistant to the antibiotics used. When this takes place, human and animal health is severely impacted as traditionally effective medicines are no longer effective. The WHO states that the overprescription or overuse of these antibiotics on humans and animals makes the problem significantly worse.
The indiscriminate use of antibiotics by the poultry industry is one of the leading contributors to large-scale antimicrobial resistance. It is estimated that approximately 73% of all antimicrobials sold on the planet are used in the livestock industry. Antibiotics in the poultry industry are used either to promote quick growth or prevent infections and disease. When they are used, these antibiotics leave behind bacterial strains that can resist these drugs. Consequently, these resistant bacteria multiply, become the dominant population, transfer the genes responsible for their resistance to other bacteria, and are transferred to humans through the consumption or handling of meat.
According to the Antimicrobials Working Group, a group consisting of thirteen different antimicrobial development companies, antimicrobial resistance will be responsible for 10 million deaths per year by 2050, with an impact of $100 trillion in economic output. This is more than deaths from all types of cancer today. Additionally,Not only this, but AMR could push low-income countries to lose more than 5% of their GDP and push up to 28 million people into poverty by 2050. Further, the countries most affected by antimicrobial resistance in animals are low- and middle-income countries. A study published in the journal, Science, found hotspots of resistance in northeastern India, northeastern China, northern Pakistan, Iran, eastern Turkey, the south coast of Brazil, Egypt, the Red River delta in Vietnam, and areas surrounding Mexico City and Johannesburg, while regions where resistance is beginning to emerge include Kenya, Morocco, Uruguay, southern Brazil, central India, and southern China. A 2013 study had estimated that deaths from AMR includedresulted in 60,000 infant deaths in India, with the current rate expected to be more than double that.
It is estimated that African Swine Fever couldwill shrink China’s and Vietnam’s pig populations by roughly 55% and 25%, respectively, by the end of 2019.
African Swine Fever is a notoriously hard disease to contain.; Spain took 35 years to eradicate it. completely Aand Sardinia, an island in Italy, has struggled to do the same for 40 years now.
African Swine Fever, as of August 2019, African Swine Fever has caused a 10% rise in China’s food price index as of August 2019. .
African Swine Fever has caused a 3% hike in inflation and a 70% rise in pork prices in China.
Antimicrobial resistance is considered to be one of the biggest threats to public health, food security, and development today.
According to the World Health Organization, overprescription andor overuse of antibiotics on humans and animals is making the threat of antibiotic resistance significantly worse.
By 2050 It is estimated that aantimicrobial resistance couldwill be responsible for 10 million deaths each year (more than from all types of cancer today) eachper year by 2050, resulting inwith a $100 trillion impact on economic output.
It is estimated that aThe livestock industry uses approximately 73% of all antimicrobials sold on the planet are used in the livestock industry.
Antimicrobial resistance could push low-income countries to lose more than 5% of their GDP by 2050.
Antimicrobial resistance could push up to 28 million people into poverty by 2050.
The countries most affected by antimicrobial resistance in animals are low- and middle-income countries.
Diseases arising from intensive animal agriculture are causing large-scale public health pandemics and taking a significant toll on the economy. Investors should be mindful of these factors while evaluating their investment portfolios.
CNBC
"China’s hog herd fell by half in the first eight months of 2019 due to a devastating outbreak of African swine fever and will likely shrink by 55% by the end of the year, analysts at Rabobank said on Wednesday."
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/03/african-swine-fever-chinas-pig-population-may-drop-by-55percent.html
WHO
"Over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. Some types of bacteria that cause serious infections in humans have already developed resistance to most or all of the available treatments, and there are very few promising options in the research pipeline."
Bloomberg
"The deadly pig virus that jumped from Africa to Europe is now ravaging China’s $128 billion pork industry and spreading to other Asian countries"
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-eliminating-african-swine-fever/
Also, check out the page on human infectious diseases and epidemics coming from livestock and factory farms.