Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand
It has been argued that intensive livestock farming increases the risk of pandemics of zoonotic origin because of long-distance livestock movements, high livestock densities, poor animal health and welfare, low disease resistance and low genetic diversity. However, data on many of these factors are...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211573 |
| _version_ | 1827957978990379008 |
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| author | Harriet Bartlett Mark A. Holmes Silviu O. Petrovan David R. Williams James L. N. Wood Andrew Balmford |
| author_facet | Harriet Bartlett Mark A. Holmes Silviu O. Petrovan David R. Williams James L. N. Wood Andrew Balmford |
| author_sort | Harriet Bartlett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It has been argued that intensive livestock farming increases the risk of pandemics of zoonotic origin because of long-distance livestock movements, high livestock densities, poor animal health and welfare, low disease resistance and low genetic diversity. However, data on many of these factors are limited, and analyses to date typically ignore how land use affects emerging infectious disease (EID) risks, and how these risks might vary across systems with different yields (production per unit area). Extensive, lower yielding practices typically involve larger livestock populations, poorer biosecurity, more workers and more area under farming, resulting in different, but not necessarily lower, EID risks than higher yielding systems producing the same amount of food. To move this discussion forward, we review the evidence for each of the factors that potentially link livestock production practices to EID risk. We explore how each factor might vary with yield and consider how overall risks might differ across a mix of production systems chosen to reflect in broad terms the current livestock sector at a global level and in hypothetical low- and high-yield systems matched by overall level of production. We identify significant knowledge gaps for all potential risk factors and argue these shortfalls in understanding mean we cannot currently determine whether lower or higher yielding systems would better limit the risk of future pandemics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:28:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5d54dc11ae748e0abab962910461dde |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:28:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5d54dc11ae748e0abab962910461dde2023-04-28T10:52:23ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032022-06-019610.1098/rsos.211573Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demandHarriet Bartlett0Mark A. Holmes1Silviu O. Petrovan2David R. Williams3James L. N. Wood4Andrew Balmford5Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKDepartment of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKSustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKDepartment of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKIt has been argued that intensive livestock farming increases the risk of pandemics of zoonotic origin because of long-distance livestock movements, high livestock densities, poor animal health and welfare, low disease resistance and low genetic diversity. However, data on many of these factors are limited, and analyses to date typically ignore how land use affects emerging infectious disease (EID) risks, and how these risks might vary across systems with different yields (production per unit area). Extensive, lower yielding practices typically involve larger livestock populations, poorer biosecurity, more workers and more area under farming, resulting in different, but not necessarily lower, EID risks than higher yielding systems producing the same amount of food. To move this discussion forward, we review the evidence for each of the factors that potentially link livestock production practices to EID risk. We explore how each factor might vary with yield and consider how overall risks might differ across a mix of production systems chosen to reflect in broad terms the current livestock sector at a global level and in hypothetical low- and high-yield systems matched by overall level of production. We identify significant knowledge gaps for all potential risk factors and argue these shortfalls in understanding mean we cannot currently determine whether lower or higher yielding systems would better limit the risk of future pandemics.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211573agriculturezoonosesemergencelivestockspilloverbiodiversity |
| spellingShingle | Harriet Bartlett Mark A. Holmes Silviu O. Petrovan David R. Williams James L. N. Wood Andrew Balmford Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand Royal Society Open Science agriculture zoonoses emergence livestock spillover biodiversity |
| title | Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand |
| title_full | Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand |
| title_short | Understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand |
| title_sort | understanding the relative risks of zoonosis emergence under contrasting approaches to meeting livestock product demand |
| topic | agriculture zoonoses emergence livestock spillover biodiversity |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211573 |
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