
We have to wake up: factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics - cageface
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/20/factory-farms-pandemic-risk-covid-animal-human-health
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aaron695
This is crap, it's extensive farming that's the problem.

How could you think a 'factory' where all variable are measured and
industrialised is worse than small hold farmers who run animals over large
areas mixed with wildlife?

Could you image small hold farmers being able to do random testing at
appropriate intervals compared to a factory with $100 million on the line.

[https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food/zoonosis](https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food/zoonosis)

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sigmaprimus
>>>It is on chicken factory farms that we have most frequently found viruses
that have mutated from a form found only in animals into a form that harms
humans.

That pretty much proves your point of small farms not testing.

Fortunately or unfortunately when there is a breakout in a large factory farm
and it gets reported, the policy in my area is for a total cull of all birds,
including small farms like mine.

I raise chickens on my small farm and stand to lose thousands of dollars and
six months of egg production when not if the next cull occurs.

I believe there is some value in having a greater variety of genetics in
livestock to prevent monoculture outbreaks but the truth is it only takes one
positive test of one bird regardless of how diverse a flock is and every bird
within 100 miles is culled, even the ones that might be immune.

On a side note: I think attacking farmers of any type during the current
crisis is not smart, the food they(We) are currently producing on large and
small farms is going to be needed badly in the comming months when the long
term negative effects of the economic shutdown appear....Winter is comming!!

