All articles tagged with #animal agriculture
Originally Published 4 months ago — by Phys.org
A study in Nature Food shows that preventing just one hour of intense pain in chickens costs less than a hundredth of a cent, highlighting the minimal economic barrier to improving animal welfare through the adoption of slower-growing breeds and higher standards, challenging assumptions about the costs of welfare reforms in animal agriculture.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Vox.com
The highly virulent strain of avian flu, H5N1, has infected more than 20 dairy herds across eight states in the US, raising concerns about potential impacts on the food supply and human health. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) has controversially suggested renaming the disease in cows as Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV) to maintain consumer confidence in beef and dairy products. The infectious disease trap model explains how animal agriculture contributes to zoonotic disease risk, and the rapid spread of bird flu in cows is attributed to long-distance transportation of animals, a hallmark of intensive animal agriculture systems. Efforts to contain the spread of the disease are underway, but experts argue that broader societal rethinking of the factory farm system is necessary to escape the infectious disease trap.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Vox.com
A person in Texas has tested positive for bird flu, contracted from a cow, marking the second case in the US in two years. The virus has caused widespread devastation among domestic flocks and wild animals, including marine mammals. While the risk to humans remains low, concerns arise as the virus spreads to different animals, including mammals. Scientists are monitoring the virus's evolution and its potential to pose a higher risk to humans. The outbreak underscores the need for close surveillance, potential vaccines, and significant changes to animal agriculture to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases like bird flu.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by AOL
A U.K.-based company, Genus, has developed a gene-edited pig that is resistant to the devastating PRRS virus, potentially becoming the first genetically modified animal approved for wide human consumption by the FDA. The altered pig, created through a technique that disables a receptor necessary for the virus to establish infection, aims to address the $2.7 billion annual cost to the pork industry and improve animal welfare. While the approval process is complex, this development marks a shift in the GMO debate to include meat, though reducing pork consumption for environmental reasons remains a consideration.