FAO Report Links Global Food Production and Increased Risk of Disease

September 19, 2007 — 

Global animal food production is undergoing a major transformation that could lead to a higher risk of disease transmission from animals to humans, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns.

Based on an FAO research report entitled Industrial Livestock Production and Global Health Risks, the FAO developed a policy brief stating that "the risk of disease transmission from animals to humans will increase in the future due to human and livestock population growth, dynamic changes in livestock production, the emergence of worldwide agro-food networks and a significant increase in the mobility of people and goods."

Although the organization recognizes the need for large scale animal production systems, they caution that producers should spend more on biosecurity and disease monitoring. They note the shift to larger more intensive production systems in developing countries as well as the industrialized countries. Pig and poultry production are the fastest growing and industrializing livestock sub-sectors, with annual production growth rates of 2.6 and 3.7 percent over the past decade.

In 2005, for example, nearly 25 million pigs, more than two million pigs per month, were traded internationally. The movement of animals and the concentration of thousands of confined animals increase the likelihood of transfer of pathogens. Furthermore, confined animal houses produce large amounts of waste, which may contain substantial quantities of pathogens. Much of this waste is disposed of on land without any treatment, posing an infection risk for wild mammals and birds.

The report recommends that production sites should not be built close to human settlements or wild bird populations; farms should be regularly cleaned and disinfected; the movements of staff and vehicles should be controlled and employees should be trained in biosecurity. FAO has also established the Crisis Management Centre that supports countries in responding to animal disease outbreaks.

Source:
FAO News Release