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Swine Flu and Factory Farms

"The swine flu crisis lays bare the meat industry's monstrous power."
Mike Davis, The Guardian, 28 April 2009

 

We believe that industrialised agriculture is a big mistake - densely populated warehouses of animals provide the opportunity for influenza to mutate at a faster rate than the human race has ever witnessed before.

Factory farms are a wholly unnatural situation that favours the flu virus. We have seen this problem of dangerous influenza strains emerge in poultry systems and in pig systems before. Now the newest so-called 'Swine Flu' has been found to be a combination of pig flu, bird flu and human flu. 

It is perhaps no surprise that a subsidiary of Smithfield - the colossal livestock conglomerate - might be at the 'epicentre' of the latest pig influenza outbreak in Mexico. 

Bird Flu - a virus of our own hatching by Dr Michael Greger is ideal if you want to know more about the threat from animal-human flu viruses, and what to do about it.

The scientific facts are disturbing, but the book also offers advice on how to deal with a pandemic situation. What's more, Greger points out that pandemic prevention is possible. More than ever, it is vital for the human race to think carefully about how they treat their domesticated livestock.