Not Swine Flu, Not H1N1 Virus -- Introducing Factory Farm Flu 1
In the beginning, there was Swine Flu. As it spread and became more than some remote problem south of the border, the PR machine for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO's) in general and the pork products industry in particular became concerned. Presto, change-o, we have the more generic sounding H1N1 virus. I think we need a more descriptive name for this pathogen. I hereby dub this bug The Factory Farm Flu 1. Of course giving the number one in the series is less than accurate. Many diseases have been transmitted from animals to humans by CAFO's. But we have to start somewhere and I suggest this be the first in a new naming protocol for these episodes. Besides, it has that catchy alliterative flow.
Corporate meat factories have reason to be concerned. What they are worried about is the story working its way from the blogs to the mainstream press. They don't wish to see stories about the connection between this outbreak and industrial animal production or stories that go beyond this outbreak and call the question about the huge threat to human health that results from this unsustainable method of animal production. This isn't Ma and Pa out back throwing some slop to the hogs and then washing up to come in for dinner. This is a method of producing meat on an industrial scale that generates tons and tons of highly toxic animal waste. Six thousand or more hogs stand cheek to jowl in single enclosed space with huge ventilating fans blowing out air full of contaminants. Workers walk through seas of liquefied feces and urine and then back into their communities.
According to a 2008 report from The Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health:
It is the concentration of farm animals in larger and larger numbers in close proximity to one another, along with the potential of IFAP (Note: Industrial Farm Animal Production) facilities to affect people, that give rise to many of the public health concerns that are attributed to IFAP. Animals in such close confinement, along with some of the feed and animal management methods employed in the system, increase pathogen risks and magnify opportunities for transmission from animals to humans. This increased risk is due to at least three factors: prolonged worker contact with animals, increased pathogen transmission within a herd or flock, and the increased opportunities for the generation of antimicrobial resistant bacteria (due to imprudent antimicrobial use) or new strains of viruses.
This is a story of careless disregard for the health of workers, the public health of communities, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. It defies common sense and demonstrates, at best, an indifference to ethical and scientific standards.
This isn't a new thing, it's not isolated, it's going to continue to happen and it affects public health in more ways than this flu outbreak. When spinach was the subject of a nationwide recall in 2006 the FDA found that the source of the e-coli was cow and pig feces. Environmental organizations, rural communities, farm workers, public health officials and many other constituencies have been working hard for years to address the myriad problems associated with CAFO's. The Factory Farm Flu 1 should be a wake up call for the public at large and it is important that people know that there are many solutions to CAFO pollution and contamination within our existing laws. And a clear need for some better ones.
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Tests have just now come back that prove that the H1N1 strain did NOT come from a Smithfield, Mexican swine farm.
Once again, single topic, critics of modern agriculture have written their own news story ahead of the facts.
http://nationalhogfarmer.com/health-diseases/news/0515-swine-not-from-mexico-farm/
ImmuneRegen’s H1N1 studies furthered by renowned scientist
Ted Ross, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Vaccine Research, will explore the use of ImmuneRegen’s lead influenza therapeutic product, Viprovex®, as an adjuvant to novel influenza vaccines. In studies of influenza-infected animals performed at other research facilities, ImmuneRegen’s Viprovex has consistently demonstrated efficacy in reducing symptoms related to seasonal (e.g. H1N1 and H3N2) influenza and highly-pathogenic (e.g. H5N1) influenza strains. The current pandemic “Swine Flu” (H1N1) has many attributes of typical seasonal influenza strains.
Click below to read full press release:
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=MW&Date=20090514&ID=9902980&Symbol=IRBS
http://www.CadenceforCancer.org
As a concerned pork producer, I want to emphasize that I work hard to
protect our natural resources. It's far too easy to generalize today's
industry by erroneously claiming that all large hog operations generate a lot of highly toxic animal waste. In reality, the food animal industry has a remarkable track record of environmental stewardship and animal care and well-being. We recognize our responsibility to protect the environment and take this responsibility seriously. I'm not aware of any producer who would knowingly harm the environment where our neighbors and families live and work. There are many rules and regulations that protect the environment. I care just as much about the environment as my neighbors and the rest of the community. Taking advantage of this situation by trying to tie the spread of the H1N1 virus to farms is disgraceful.
John DeCock is right. A quick search through the scientific literature should be enough to convince anyone that factory farms are epidemics in-waiting. Pathogens are released in the manure and litter from thousands of enormous poultry houses and swine farms scattered across the rural South. Their exhaust fans blow pathogens into the air. Buzzing flies spread antibiotic-resistant pathogens into surrounding areas. After manure and litter from the factory farms are spread on fields, rainwater run-off carries bacterial loads to downstream water resources. The 18-wheelers loaded with caged chickens leave more than a trail of feathers floating in the air; airborne pathogens are blown into the air shared by commuters and communities along the highways. Are there techniques and technologies to reduce the risk of further outbreaks of factory farm flu? Yes, the European Union already has regulations aimed at achieving that end. In contrast, the U.S. does not regulate pathogen releases to air, water or land from factory farms.
References on request.
Factory farms have devasted the environment without any consideration for the health of the animals or the communities. While searching for the easiest route to mega profits and virtually eliminating family farms under the guise of security in food supplies, they have created an out of control monster. The FDA has much to do to bring these farms up to an ethical code that protects public health.
While organic and free range farms are not without any level of risk, they don't come close to the filth and negligence on these maga farms.
This seems like a great topic for Frontline or 60 Minutes or Dateline. We need a lot more media attention on this issue.
Very well written. Confined animal operations have led to serious ground and surface water pollution in many states, and this article illustrates some of the greater health related dangers associated with these practices.
E-coli in the spinach was caused by WILD (free range, if you will) pig and/or by wildlife. There is no evidence that the current strain of 'swine' flu was 'caused' by factory farms.
Actually, the e-coli in spinach came from a combination of domestic cattle and wild pigs. I don't know about any roving bands of wild cows. And that fact that fecal-sourced e-coli gets into our produce speaks volumes about the laxity of regulations for the mass production meat industry. Just because the source of swine flu hasn't been linked to a specific meat factory doesn't mean CAFO's aren't the source. They almost certainly are because of the way pathogens travel by air, water and pests in the proximity of these horrible facilities. The science and evidence argue against your assertion.
Actually i just saw on http://www.flucount.org that there's 2 deaths in Texas?? i thought there was only 1? is this wrong?
no but only one US citizen
Well whatever this thing is, it keeps spreading like wildfire. Every day more and more people seem to be infected! FluCount.org says the numbers in colorado tripled overnight, and Wisconsin has gone up considerably too.
as flu does
From the Lehigh Valley to the Chesapeake watershed to way out west, confined animal feeding operations pollute water, create huge public health risks. Macro Meat = Macro Problems = Swine Flu. We need to wake up and smell the cafo's- they're bad and getting worse.
Way to go, boss! Factory farms are giving our porcine friends a bad name.
Its great to see environmentalists tuning in that animal abuse can lead to bigtime pollution
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