Factory Farming Blamed for Massive Bird Flu Outbreak: Experts

A highly pathogenic form of avian flu was detected in South Korea in November, and experts suggest that crowded conditions in industrial poultry farms have accelerated the spread of disease. “While the government has yet to offer clear reason for the worsening situation, casting the blame on migratory birds, experts pointed out that the battery cage-facilities at poultry farms and stockbreeding farmhouses have scaled up the damage,” reports Kim Da-sol for the Korean Herald. “Hens spend their entire lives in a sheet of A4 paper-sized cage with dust, ammonia gas and stink.” Proponents of industrial-scale farming insist such methods save money. More than 30 million birds, 70 percent egg-laying hens, have been killed in South Korea to control the spread of disease. Animal rights and health advocates urge regulations for the farms and better conditions for the animals. One researcher, quoted in the article, suggested that “it would be strange if the virus does not spread in such a filthy environment.”- YaleGlobal

Factory Farming Blamed for Massive Bird Flu Outbreak: Experts

Animal rights activists and health researchers demand more regulations for industrial-scale poultry farms to prevent the spread of avian flu
Kim Da-sol
Friday, January 6, 2017
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