Swine Flu, Part Deux
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m happy about any reduction in meat eating. I’m happy that many people are learning about CAFO’s because of swine flu who otherwise would never have known, or cared for that matter. I’m not happy about fear mongering, the threat of real pandemics, or human illness though. I hope this thing plays out in such a way that we can move beyond the panic and get down to looking more seriously at how CAFO’s are breeding grounds for new bugs, viral and bacterial alike (antibiotic resistance is something that is being acknowledged as an issue in terms of CAFO’s already), this isn’t the first scare and it certainly won’t be the last if we don’t change the system that’s currently in place – which begins with our appetite for flesh.
Here’s a interesting site – Food and Water Watch. It has interactive maps of CAFO’s, information about industrial food production, etc. And an article from the HSUS on factory farming & swine flu.
Another connection that might be of interest regarding a nasty little bug called Pfiesteria, here and here.
