Factory farming: a threat to humain health

This episode of La terre au carré, in partnership with Reporterre, examines the link between zoonotic pandemics and factory farming, the latter being a vector of antibiotic resistance.

Interviewed in this program, Nicolas Fortané returns to the definition of factory farming: “Factory farming is defined by its intensive aspect. It is characterized by the concentration and confinement of animals, the increase in herd size, and the genetic standardization of animals: factors that favor the emergence of new pathogenic viruses. These farms often form part of industrial production chains that include slaughtering, the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry, etc. Livestock farming is a global industry. The distances and volumes involved in the movement of animals and animal products have increased considerably. And that's where the famous risk of disease transmission comes from."

Also accompanied by Magali Reinert, journalist for Reporterre and co-author with Yann Faure, and Benjamin Roche, eco-epidemiologist at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, this program looks beyond pandemics and zoonoses to the “silent pandemic” of antibiotic resistance.

The entire program can be found here.