11 Jan AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE ZOONOTIC DISEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM GUARANTEED TO FAIL
Australia’s future zoonotic disease prevention program is in the hands of the person paid to serve and protect our greatest animal exploitation industry.
The Minister for Agriculture has allocated $8.4 million of your dollars over four years towards “preventing, detecting, and mitigating the impacts of emerging animal diseases” whilst completely ignoring what world leading infectious disease experts have long called for.
In a media release on January 3, David Littleproud stated “COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the importance of recognising and managing emerging zoonotic disease risks which can originate from wildlife.”
What we already know and what Littleproud is choosing to ignore is that new and emerging infectious diseases are being predominantly caused by:
1. land clearing (driven by mining, logging, human population growth and most predominantly by animal agriculture) bringing humans into closer contact with free living species through loss of habitat;
2. the rearing and killing of animals for food and fibre creating perfect conditions for infectious diseases to spread and mutate;
3. the wildlife trade;
4. eating so-called “bushmeat” (hello kangaroo meat trade)
Whilst we acknowledge the urgent need for local research and systems to be put in place that work to detect disease risks from wildlife, this alone will by no means do what is needed to prevent future zoonotic diseases. Like just about all politicians, Littleproud staunchly defends animal agriculture which currently uses 54% of Australian land and 47% globally. There is zero chance he would ever fight to restore habitat, reduce human population growth and end animal farming.
“This program positions Australia as a world leader of the global transformational change agenda aimed at preventing future disease risks emerging from the human-animal-environmental interface.” Littleproud said. What a reassuring thought that is 🙄
Stating “Nearly all major exotic livestock diseases of potential concern to Australia, including African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, will have wildlife and/or feral animals as part of their cause or spread” is a strong indication the program will focus on the convenient continued vilification of wild pigs, whilst ignoring all of the above listed major threats.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has stated “70% (approx. 2 in 3) of the new diseases that have emerged in humans over recent decades are of animal origin and, in part, directly related to the human quest for more animal-sourced food.”
In Victoria alone in late 2020, early 2021, whilst we were in the midst of the hardest lockdowns the world has seen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were three different strains of avian influenza, coming from:
– three egg farms with highly pathogenic H7N7 avian influenza
– two turkey farms with low pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza
– one emu farm diagnosed with low pathogenic H7N6 avian influenza
Devastatingly, there is zero chance any other politician from our current pool of those with enough power from the major parties will do what is needed to avoid preventable future pandemics – something to remember at the polling booth, at the supermarket, and when engaging with the public and our media organisations, who are remarkably failing on this issue.
Full Littleproud media release here.
More on the leading cause of pandemics here.
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