I have long agitated whenever given the chance, against any type of factory farming–animal or grain or vegetable or fruit. WHY? Because of the statistical probability of failure and disease. Why are so many of us gravitating toward locally produced, organic food? We know that on so many levels it’s better for us. By the same token, if you believe you need to eat meat to be complete, you might want to reconsider where that meat comes from and at what price–not just on the sticker, but for the environment and for the future health of the land and water and our bodies and our children’s bodies.
Someday I pray, we won’t remember that animals were once harvested like timber or timber mowed down like invasive weeds but respected as the holy givers of sustenance they were intended. My mother, the-gardener-extraordinaire, used to tell me: “Mother Nature is very forgiving of our best efforts and intentions but she does not tolerate disrespect.”
Factory animal farms are neither respectful, honorable or healthy. Connect the dots, folks, and get over it! Until then (may I live that long but time is not on my side) I offer some news reports and opinions on the origins of the current ‘canary in the coalmine’ — swine flu and the Smithfield Farms connection.
Tom Philpott opened this can of worms on Grist. See his article here.
Another blog post citing a Biosurveillance timeline of the outbreak.
Mysteries about the swine flu are explored in this article from the Associated Press.
Some insight on CAFO’s for your dining pleasure.
[Even the Dept. of Homeland Security, Open Source Report for August 13, 2007 has something to share]
August 10, 2007 Agence France−Presse — Pig farms to shut down in Romania. Eleven unauthorized pig farms belonging to U.S. company Smithfield in Romania are to be shut down following an outbreak of swine fever, the head of the national sanitary and veterinary authority said Friday, August 10. The agency will also send a veterinary doctor to each of Smithfield’s 25 farms in western Timis county to monitor whether sanitary standards were being respected and to oversee the killing of some 40,000 pigs from the two farms where the outbreak occurred, ANSVSA director Radu Roatis said. Veterinary authorities found this week that 11 Smithfield farms had not been authorised to operate in Romania. Swine fever was detected during the 8 week in two farms in western Timis county belonging to Smithfield. One of them did not have an authorization to operate. Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070810/hl_afp/romaniausfarmhea lth_070810132622;_ylt=Ajp_F5IIjjT5TdT1stampleJOrgF
And finally from the CDC…note that swine flu has been around a long time, according to their report.
Smithfield Farms website page
PS: I’m NOT against kissing pigs. We raised them on our organic farm and they were intelligent, loving, funny, gentle, bonding animals we treated with respect. I’m uncertain I could raise animals for food sacrifice/slaughter again but I know that humane treatment is possible.
If only all pigs could live the kind of life portrayed above…
Thanks so much for the information on Mike Davis. I’ll add him to the data base. I realize as I speak with people just about gardening how little information is relayed to the average person/reader/citizen about food production. It’s important that we continue to share what we know and have experienced first hand. Without information, we are doomed to the same mistakes–until we run out of options. Thanks again for reading and sharing!
Michelle Vandepas sent me your article. Thanks so much for writing it.
Well, here you go. I’m not amazed by this…having worked in and with organic farming for some 30 years; I also found another concise article about this crisis from Mike Davis. Mr. Davis is a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu. He outlines my reasons for ‘going organic’! Hope all of you do the same. Factory Farming is cruel, disrespectful and certainly not honorable way to treat the animals that we share this planet with!