I have copied this from the Tasmanian Times website because I felt that in light of the current outbreak of Swine/Bird Flu, my readers might want to go over and have a look through this e-book.
The author of this free E-book provides a valuable insight into the factors involved leading to the development of zoonotic viral strains and why intensive farming of animals is a serious threat to human health. Of the 12 most infectious diseases that the world has dealt with in the last century, 10 of them are either directly or indirectly, the result of our questionable and unethical animal production practices.
Here is the link, Bird Flu, Pigs Barking Blood.
Please come back and tell me what you think..
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Very good article.
Veronicas last blog post..Hypersensitive
Oh heck, I just ate ham for dinner. I’m clicking over, but I’m NOT going to read the article until the swine in my stomach has digested. This latest outbreak in Mexico is dangerously close to ME. I just had a conversation with a friend this afternoon who isn’t taking her 2 year old out into public for the foreseeable future. I absolutely don’t doubt that disease is being caused by the unethical production of animals.
Hyphen Mamas last blog post..Bless his heart
@ Hyphen-mama…
There are confirmed cases next door to us in New Zealand as well. The more of the e-book that I read the sicker I felt. *sigh* As of today I am not buying any meat until I know where it comes from.I have always had strong opinions about the food that I feed to my family but sometimes it is too hard and too expensive to always buy ethically produced food. Today that changes and I am stepping back onto my soapbox.
I think maybe it’s all Karma. We treat animals bad or support industries that do. Now we’re being kicked back in the ass.
Dinas last blog post..Pro Hart (thanks Dave)
Not going to read the article as I already worry enough about what we eat but can’t quite give up meat – yet! You would think that after the BSE disaster in the UK producers would stop these insane practices but, as usual, Mammon rules;-(
I hate to be the bearer of non-bad news, but swine flu is NOT transmitted through or by food. Properly prepared pork – you DO always properly prepare your pork, right? – is just as safe as any other food substance.
Pigs have ALWAYS gotten the flu. Birds have ALWAYS had their own version of the flu. The way flu viruses mutate, it was inevitable that the disease would jump to humans and would become contagious. It’s the way diseases work. It just IS.
lceels last blog post..Silk Purses
@lceel I didn’t say that Swine Flu was transmitted through food. I just presented a link to an article that I found interesting.
Iceel,
I think maybe the overcrowded conditions of the farm animals make it easier for the disease to spread.
Dinas last blog post..Pro Hart (thanks Dave)
@ Dina
Exactly the point that I was trying to make by posting the link to the e-book. We all need to question where our food is coming from and how our food is produced. At my local supermarket it is getting increasingy difficult to find any canned or pre-packaged or frozen food that is wholly produced in Australia. And it is also getting harder and harder to source locally produced fresh fruit and vegetables as well.
This article makes me glad that I eat very little meat, so I’m not helping to support these factory farms. I think it’s a horrible way to raise animals. Mass production has a lot to answer for. I think it’s come about not because people were demanding “more” and “now”, but because producers gave “more” and “now”, so of course the masses got used to the year round availability and convenience. Just like supermarkets developed from smaller stores, just like opening hours developed from 9-5 to the current 24-hour convenience stores. The masses didn’t demand this, the profit-mongers did, and the world is paying (and suffering) for it. Availability and convenience is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Blimey. Thank you for pointing me to that article. Food for thought (no pun intended).
Barbaras last blog post..124/365 – All Together Now