Controlling avian influenza: we need to move away from farming animals to solve our inter-related crises

As the window to tackle the climate crisis closes, we cannot ignore the impact of the food system on health.1 “One health” is a holistic approach that considers the health of people, animals, and ecosystems in recognition of their interdependence.2 Yet, this editorial on avian flu does not contemplate animals or the negative impacts of farming and eating birds on individual and planetary health.3Farmed chickens account for 70% of all birds on earth, with 60 billion killed for food annually. The majority are raised in cramped and squalid conditions in factory farms, causing these sentient animals significant injury and health problems before their untimely slaughter at 42 days. In recent months in the UK, chickens have been completely confined, with millions slaughtered to prevent the spread of avian flu.4Antibiotic resistant infections resulted in almost 1.3 million human deaths globally in 2019.5 A major driver of these infections is the widespread…
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