I’m wondering how this might affect the public debate on factory farming. Animal advocates sometimes argue that factory farms contribute to antibiotic resistance, and this point may carry much more force in the future. So perhaps one key conclusion is that advocates should emphasise this angle more in the future. (That said, AFAIK the coronavirus doesn’t have anything to do with farmed animals, and my impression from a quick Google search is that the issue of antibiotic resistance is manageable with the right regulations.)
Thanks for commenting. That’s a very interesting question. Probably, after the pandemic, people may be more concerned about safer and healthier food, and more open to messages about public costs and other problems associated with animal farming. But for now, this is just a hypothesis that should be empirically tested, as Peter says.
However, I disagree with the idea that coronavirus doesn’t have anything to do with animal farming. There is extensive evidence about how factory farms provide an ideal breeding ground for highly pathogenic viruses, worsen by the abusive use of antibiotics. Researchers Cynthia Schuck and Wladimir Alonso have recently published a report about this issue available here.
However, I disagree with the idea that coronavirus doesn’t have anything to do with animal farming.
Yeah, I wrote this based on having read that the origins of coronavirus involved bats. After reading more, it seems not that simple because farmed animals may have enabled the virus to spread between species.
Great work, thanks for writing this up!
I’m wondering how this might affect the public debate on factory farming. Animal advocates sometimes argue that factory farms contribute to antibiotic resistance, and this point may carry much more force in the future. So perhaps one key conclusion is that advocates should emphasise this angle more in the future. (That said, AFAIK the coronavirus doesn’t have anything to do with farmed animals, and my impression from a quick Google search is that the issue of antibiotic resistance is manageable with the right regulations.)
We’re doing some message testing on this and can get back to you.
Hi Tobias!
Thanks for commenting. That’s a very interesting question. Probably, after the pandemic, people may be more concerned about safer and healthier food, and more open to messages about public costs and other problems associated with animal farming. But for now, this is just a hypothesis that should be empirically tested, as Peter says.
However, I disagree with the idea that coronavirus doesn’t have anything to do with animal farming. There is extensive evidence about how factory farms provide an ideal breeding ground for highly pathogenic viruses, worsen by the abusive use of antibiotics. Researchers Cynthia Schuck and Wladimir Alonso have recently published a report about this issue available here.
Interesting, thanks!
Yeah, I wrote this based on having read that the origins of coronavirus involved bats. After reading more, it seems not that simple because farmed animals may have enabled the virus to spread between species.