Category: Environmental

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

England: 3 In 4. Intensive Animal Farming Is Killing Us.

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All pictures – Viva !

 

Hi all;

First; I have not really been able to post much over the last few days because of a big drop down on the system here – so apologies and I hope to get it fixed on 13/5. Fingers crossed !

UPDATE 13/5 – All seems to be fixed this morning – maybe some posts now ! – Mark

 

Viva kill us 3

 

Here are a few things just sent to me by Juliet – Founder and CEO of ‘Viva !’ here in England. I am writing this tonight (12/5) with the hope that if the system is back on tomorrow, then I can copy and post. Until then it has to wait.

The new Viva ! campaign is called ‘Three in Four’. As new and deadly diseases infect humans, and are appearing all the time; 3 in 4 of them come from animals. It is not the fault of the animal, simply the systems used by humans to keep them and slaughter them – intensive farming and slaughterhouse systems.

Is this not verified by the big infection rates for Covid 19 that we have seen in US slaughterhouse workers over the last few weeks ? – and as always, the ‘just animals’ from intensive systems; that are put through wood chippers and their mushed bodies spread all over the land.

In the mid 19th century, 1855 to be exact; a German pathologist; one Rudolf Virchow, was the first to discover that infectious diseases could be transmitted between animals and humans – a method that became known as ‘zoonoses’. In August 1958, more than a century later, the ‘World Health Organisation’ (WHO) expert committee on Zoonoses met in Stockholm, Sweden. The outcome of the meeting was a stark warning; the prevention, control, and eradication of these diseases were ‘responsibilities of considerable magnitude in every country’.

Move to 2020; now; and we are experiencing globally the disease called ‘Covid 19’.

Animal farming is killing us. 3 of 4 of the worlds new or emerging diseases are what is called ‘Zoonotic’. These diseases are responsible for 2,7 million human deaths per year and are largely transmitted through the wildlife trade and factory farming. In other words, most pandemics are due to people eating animals. So despite knowing the reasons of disease spread for over 150 years; now more than ever before, we are subjecting animals in terrible confinement in factory farms – the very cause of the problems, simply because some of us still wish a burger or sausage for their meal. It is a dangerous game; and cramming animals together in markets; and subjecting them to factory farming, only increases the risk of in house disease infection, as well as the mutations to the human species which results in infectious diseases.

Today, around 90% of all animals farmed for food and dairy across the world are kept in factory farms; where infections can easily spread, mutate and become infectious to humans. Because of the massive numbers of farmed animals involved; such as your typical chicken or pig production system, where huge numbers of animals are crammed together, jammed into farrowing crates, covered in their own waste; and forced to lie on hard slatted floors; pumped full of antibiotics, and surviving in a close environment which easily transmits disease and sickness from one animal to another; is it any wonder that intensive animal farming is killing us ? The huge complexes which imprison these intelligent animals and who at the end of the day only want financial profit, talk the talk when it comes to ‘animal welfare’. But the reality is rather different. The Viva ! 3 in 4 campaign is hitting the streets in the UK; and it calls for an end to intensive farming and for people also to go Vegan; to stop the suffering.

Covid 9 is showing us the bad side of intensive animal farming; we need to learn from it, and quickly, before intensive animal farming kills us all.

 

Regards Mark

 

Viva kill us 1

Viva kill us 2

 

More:

https://www.plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/deadly-bird-flu-could-emerge-from-factory-farming

‘Bird Flu 90 Times Deadlier Than COVID-19 Could Emerge From Factory Farming’ Warns Report

‘The majority of these diseases are the result of human activit

Author:

Plant Based NewsPublish date:

23 hours ago

 

A mutant bird flu 90 times deadlier than Covid-19* is ‘poised to emerge in humans’ from factory farming, a new report has warned.

The report, titled Zoonoses: a ticking time bomb, was published by animal advocacy organization Viva! and led by senior health researcher Dr. Justine Butler.

It cites scientists who believe the new mutant strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus could prove 90 times more deadly than Covid-19, and would be capable of killing six-in-ten of those infected.

 

Zoonotic diseases

According to Viva!, zoonotic diseases – those which spread from animals to humans – are ‘developing with increasing frequency’, with three out of four new or emerging infectious diseases in people coming from animals.

A statement sent to Plant Based News said: “Scientists are concerned that the global explosion in factory farming and wildlife markets could make the transmission of mutated strains of the H5N1 bird flu virus to humans much easier.

“They include familiar illnesses and diseases such as the common cold, influenza (flu), polio, AIDS and measles alongside other lesser known ones such as SARS, MERS, Nipah virus and Ebola.

“Most recently, Covid-19 has joined this growing list, having jumped from bats or other wild animals, to humans, leading to the current pandemic.

There are over 200 zoonotic diseases and 56 of them affect some two-and-a-half billion people and cause nearly three million deaths every year.”

 

‘The writing is on the wall’

In Zoonoses: a ticking time bomb, Dr. Butler writes: “The majority of both zoonoses and antibiotic-resistant diseases are the result of human activity, with factory farming and wild animal markets lying at the heart of the problem. The solution could not be easier – go vegan now!”

Zoologist and Viva! director Juliet Gellatley added: “The writing is on the wall. The global explosion in factory farming and wildlife markets has left humankind exposed to catastrophic pandemics that could kill millions of people.

“For the sake of generations to come we must heed the science and end our collective dependency on the horrific abuse of animals.”

For more information on zoonotic diseases visit viva.org.uk/3-in-4

*According to Viva!, the death rate of those infected by coronavirus is thought to be 0.66 percent. The death rate for those infected by a mutant H5N1 strain could be 60 percent. This equates to a H5N1 infection death rate 90.9 times higher.

Viva ! – https://www.viva.org.uk/

 

https://www.viva.org.uk/3-in-4

 

Environmental, Farm Animals

Animal agriculture: a ticking time bomb

As of this writing, almost 2 million humans have been infected in the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic, and well over 100,000 have died as a result.

corona karikaturjpg

Even so, although the true numbers are unknown, only a fraction of a percent of all humans have been sickened, and less than 6% of those infected have died.

The majority of the 7.7 billion humans wrecking havoc on our planet and torturing and murdering hundreds of billions of non-human animals annually are continuing to go about their evil business as usual.

corona Carikatur pg

If one believes, as we do, that humans are the real virus infecting planet earth, we can only bemoan the fact that so many humans will likely remain viable throughout the current pandemic.

The source of the current pandemic of Covid-19 is believed to be a “wet market” in Wuhan, China. In a wet market, all kinds of animals, live and dead, are for sale for consumption, many of them still alive in cages, many killed on the spot. The virus is believed to have originated in bats before moving to an intermediary animal widely consumed by humans after sale in these markets.

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These markets contain fish packed into shallow tubs that splash water all over the floor. The floors and counter tops of stalls are slick and red with the blood of animals killed, skinned and gutted as customers watch. Live turtles and crustaceans climb over each other in desperate bids to escape filthy plastic boxes. Birds and mammals scream as they are killed; sick and wounded animals crammed into small cages stacked high drip blood, pus, feces, and urine onto other animals in cages below.

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In the eyes of all of them there is misery and terror. Water, blood, fish scales and animal guts are everywhere. Melting ice adds to the slush on the floor.

For years, scientists have warned that filthy markets crammed full of sick animals are breeding grounds for new, antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.”

Some studies claim that by 2050, more people will be dying from these infectious diseases than from cancer. What the world is witnessing in horror in 2020 will someday be common. The United Nations has found that 70% of new human diseases, such as HIV(chimpanzees), Mad Cow Disease, Avian Flu(birds), Ebola(bats) and Swine Flu(pigs) were directly linked to animals used for food.

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Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, we continue to be stunned by the lack of serious reporting on the source of the problem.

Finally, after weeks of sparse coverage, we are beginning to see the issue come to light through figures that have captured the world’s attention, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who stated that..

“It boggles my mind how when we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface [wet markets], that we don’t just shut it down. I don’t know what else has to happen to get us to appreciate that.”

The writing has been on the wall for years. Animal agriculture, in all of its manifestations — from the disembowelment of pigs, slaughter of cows, killing of chickens on assembly lines, to the bloodthirsty “sport” of hunting — is a ticking time bomb.

Poultry Farm And A Veterinary

And its not only, or even primarily, infectious agents that are doing the killing. Heart disease and stroke, also the direct result of a flesh-based diet, kill 18 million people worldwide each and every year.

We humans have a “vaccine” (a plant-based diet) for this major killer and yet knowingly fail to utilize it.

Unless humans change the way they live with animals, no amount of soap and hand sanitizer, social distancing or ventilators is going to save them as a species.

Maybe that’s a good thing.

ALF LOgo

https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/NAALPO/2020/04/11/on-the-covid-19-virus-and-animal-liberation/

 

I have no comment on this excellent article, just an addition:
We hear from the media every day … “If we stick to the measures, we will soon be able to return to” normal “life …” At the latest, it will become clear to everyone that we have learned nothing.

We didn’t have a normal life before. That’s why we have a deadly pandemic today.
It is not normal to keep, massacre and eat millions of animals in miserable conditions.
It is not normal to burn the tropical forests to create feed for animals that are used as food for the rich countries.
It is not normal to fell forests and cause the death of a thousand wild animals.

It is not normal to decide about the life and death of other non-human animals, it is the fascist right of the stonger!

Exploitation is a painful and murderous act.
It’s time for us to abolish it.

And not just for fear of pandemics!

To all vegans...thank you n

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, Stray Animals

Germany: hysteria about stray foxes

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It is not only since Corona that wild animals are spreading in cities. In Wernigerode (a town in the district of Saxony-Anhalt, in central Germany), foxes roam through a residential area and undermine garages.

At dusk the animals become active: Several stray foxes have been causing uncertainty in the city for several weeks.

A “real plague” is reported by a local resident (!!!)

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In families, the red fur animals roam between the houses and dig their burrows under garages. The resident himself has filled a hole under his garage for the fourth time in just a few weeks, and has now set up a waste paper bin in front of it – “so that at last there is peace and quiet,” (!!!) he says.

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What worries residents in particular: They fear that the adaptable predators could transmit diseases such as rabies (!!!). And that the animals lose their shyness.

Jungfüchse am Bau“Since the beginning of the Corona crisis – and the associated restrictions on public life and traffic in our district – we have seen it more and more frequently,” he explains.
Calls to veterinarians and other agencies have so far brought nothing.

City administration recommends scare

As the spokesman for the town hall says: “Prevention of predators is the responsibility of the private property owner and can be done relatively easily with the use of frightening agents. I also had contact with a local resident to whom I recommended this measure. The tip was gratefully received and should be implemented. “

Furthermore, the spokesman for the city administration recommends that those affected adjust their behavior: closed compost heaps, for example, are helpful in order to provide the survivors with no food. This also includes not storing leftover food in the garden and avoiding open feeding of pets outdoors. “Sometimes foxes are even fed, that should be avoided!”

gefangener Fuchspg

According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the red fox is not subject to any species protection regulations in Germany.

According to the German Wildlife Foundation, these predators are not threatened, “but are among the big winners in our cultural landscape”.
They have spread rapidly in large cities.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, rabies had partially decimated the fox population.

Germany has been rabies-free since 2008, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.

https://www.volksstimme.de/lokal/wernigerode/wildtiere-fuchsplage-in-wernigerode

 

And I mean... Of course, none of the residents wonder why the foxes leave the forest.

They are refugees.

We have driven them out and fought since the first day of their lives.
We have not wondered what we would do if others stole our houses, our country, if our children were murdered so that others could build their houses or businesses.

We are the only animals that accept coexistence when we rule and dominate.
The only real plague that I know, is the human plague.

Fuchs mit ihren Kleinen

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News

USA: New York – Most Covid Deaths In USA – Over 80 Dangerous Live Animal Markets Remain Operational. Spot the Connection ? – Petition.

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Right now in New York City — the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic — over 80 dangerous live animal markets remain operational, spilling blood, guts, feces and other potentially infectious bodily fluids in close proximity to hundreds of people.

 

There is new hope in stopping the horror: A bill proposed in the NY State Assembly could finally ban these horrifying live animal markets. Sign now to help this crucial legislation pass.

 

SIGN: Immediately Shut Down All Live Animal ‘Wet’ Markets in New York

 

Petition Link –

 

https://ladyfreethinker.org/shut-down-all-live-animal-wet-markets-new-york/?signthepetitionbutton&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email

 

PETITION TARGETS: NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, NY Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NY Assembly Majority Leader Carl Heastie

 

UPDATE: New York officially introduced Bill A10399, “an act to to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to prohibiting the operation of establishments where animals and/or fowls are slaughtered and butchered for food.” Sign to urge leaders to pass this important legislation and immediately shut down all live animal markets in the state.

New York state should lead the world by example. How? By immediately closing down and permanently banning all cruel and dangerous live animal “wet” markets.

New York is the epicenter for the global COVID-19 pandemic, and just like the wet markets in China that gave birth to the crisis, more than 80 dangerous live animal markets are operating today in New York City alone, despite the New York State of Pause Executive Order. 

Soaked wet with blood, guts, feces, and other bodily fluids and parts, these markets are ideal environments for the incubation and spreading of zoonotic diseases, as a mix of animals are jam-packed into tight cages awaiting slaughter.

 

NYC is particularly susceptible to a new, even more uncontainable virus spreading through its population of over 8 million people, as all residents live in relatively close quarters. As live animal wet markets remain open, public health and safety are at risk. In addition to the current uncontained COVID virus, new variants of COVID could emerge, reinfecting humans and causing a global viral pandemic relapse. Such introductions could be more deadly, and plague even more people globally.

 

The facts are clear: live animal markets — whether in Wuhan, China or on the streets of New York — are breeding grounds for deadly zoonotic diseases that then become communicable human-to-human viruses. The government must immediately shut them all down in the interest of public health and safety.

Sign this petition urging lawmakers to do everything in their power to shut down all live animal markets in the state of New York.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL PETITION TEXT

 

 

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

USA: Wet markets breed contagions like the coronavirus. The U.S. has thousands of them. By Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix.

USA Flagge

 

With thanks to Stacey at ‘Our Compass’ for sending this info over to us.

Regards Mark.

 

https://our-compass.org/2020/05/04/wet-markets-breed-contagions-like-the-coronavirus-the-u-s-has-thousands-of-them/

 

Wet markets breed contagions like the coronavirus. The U.S. has thousands of them.

May 4, 2020

Source The Washington Post

By Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix

The public health threat isn’t a foreign enemy. It’s here, too.

On April 3, Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, joined the chorus of voices calling for the immediate closure of China’s “wet markets,” where the coronavirus is widely believed to have originated. Butchers, trappers and consumers mingle openly, slaughtering and trading live animals; it is the perfect environment for zoonotic diseases to leap from an infected creature to a human.

But China is hardly the only country where live animal markets and other squalid operations are common. Some 80 of them operate within the five boroughs of New York City alone, according to Slaughter Free NYC, a nonprofit group that opposes them. They are near residences, schools and public parks.

 

(I watched millions of gallons of animal poop flooding across North Carolina)

Less notorious but much more commonplace threats to public health are the “concentrated animal feeding operations” (CAFOs) scattered throughout the South and Midwest. These factory farms warehouse thousands of animals that wallow in their own waste with limited or no airspace, routinely creating conditions for the proliferation of super bugs and zoonotic pathogens. Nearly the entire supply of animal products consumed in the United States originate from these industrial factory farms.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have warned us against the risks of factory farms for years. The unsanitary living conditions inside CAFOs weaken animals’ immune systems and increase their susceptibility to infection and disease. The factory farms’ response has been to pump the animals full of antibiotics that make their way into our food supply and onto our dinner plates, systematically fostering in humans a lethal resistance to the medicines that once quelled everyday infections. Such practices have brought humanity to the point that the WHO now estimates that more than half of all human diseases emanate from animals.

 

(Your pork comes from a factory farm, no matter what anyone tells you)

Many of us are privileged enough to stay at home in safety with our loved ones to avoid the coronavirus. But how much thought are we giving to the individuals and communities that are directly affected by our choices and lifestyles? Tens of thousands of Americans face threats to their daily health and well-being from neighboring CAFOs and the animal waste that mists or flows over their properties. They are unable to be “safer at home.” Will we apply the same energy we have put into overcoming this virus into preventing future outbreaks and helping dismantle the industries inflicting so much damage to communities across the country?

As this disaster continues to ravage society, we must examine our role in the emergence of the coronavirus and our vulnerability to a growing number of diseases as a result of our impositions on the animal kingdom and the environment. This probe cannot end with bats, monkeys, pangolins and other exotic wildlife supposedly to blame for recent contagions. It should encompass all of the supporting industries that contribute to the debilitation of communities, our susceptibility to illnesses and our complete defenselessness in their wake. A real public-health reckoning would have us reshape our patterns of consumption, curbing our dependence on animal products. A bacteria-infested (and inhumane) food supply makes people sick.

Covid-19 is a devastating indicator of what’s to come if we don’t make rapid and sweeping changes, the least inconvenient of which is closing down all live-animal markets and CAFOs in the midst of this global pandemic.

Rooney Mara is an actor and activist.

Joaquin Phoenix is an actor and activist.

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Have questions? Click HERE

 

 

 

Environmental, General News

England: Fury as swan shot in head four times while protecting nest in ‘cruel and horrible’ attack.

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swan shot Stadt Moers Park RPSCA

All Photos – RSPCA

Fury as swan shot in head four times while protecting nest in ‘cruel and horrible’ attack

A SWAN was shot in the head four times while trying to protect her nest in a shocking case of animal cruelty at a park in Merseyside.

 

The RSPCA was called to reports of an injured swan at Stadt Moers Park on Tuesday. The bird was rushed to the vets but had to be put down after four pellets were found in her head.

RSPCA inspector Louise Showering, who attended the incident with animal welfare officer Matt Brown, said the attack was “cruel and horrible”.

Insp Showering said: “When Matt and I arrived we could see two swans sitting on a nest containing eggs on the banks of the park’s lake.

“We were really concerned because we could see blood on one of the swans, so Matt changed into his specialist water rescue kit and made his way into the lake.

“He was able to get hold of the female easily, so we knew she was badly hurt.

 

swan shot Stadt Moers Park Merseyside RSPCA

swan shot Stadt Moers Park Merseyside RSPCA

 

“As we carried the swan away from the lake we could hear her mate calling for her, it was very upsetting, especially as he will now have to protect the eggs, but it is possible he may be successful in raising the young alone.

“To think someone has done this deliberately is absolutely terrible, I can’t imagine why someone would be so cruel to a wild animal.

“The local people who have watched the birds for some time are also extremely upset.”

The RSPCA is appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

Insp Showering added: “It’s an offence to kill or injure a wild bird, not to mention a really cruel and horrible thing to do.

“We’re appealing to anyone who may have any information, no matter how small, to get in touch.

“They can leave a message for me in complete confidence by calling our inspector appeal line number on 0300 123 8018.”

 

Twitter users reacted with fury to the attack on the swan.

Today AWO Brown was called to rescue a Swan from a pool in #Huyton, that had been shot 4 times & left to die, whilst trying to protect its nest. The Swan was rushed to the vets, but its injuries were too severe & so euthanasia was the kindest option. #stillhereforanimals 33 pic.twitter.com/k3GLlNDuIy

— RSPCA Frontline (@RSPCA_Frontline) April 28, 2020

 

One said: “Shocking. So sad to hear this. Thank you for trying to save a life.”

Another wrote: “Needless and tragic. We need stronger punishment for the sick and twisted individual’s that do this.”

A third commented: “Utterly heartbreaking.”

 

Another said: “Hope they catch whoever did this it sickens me that there are people who do these things to animals.”

A fifth asked: “Why are people so cruel?”

It is the latest in a spate of attacks after another swan was shot in Thatcham, Berkshire.

The RSPCA has dealt with 21,137 cases of animal cruelty since the coronavirus lockdown started on March 23.

The charity launched an emergency appeal last month to keep rescuers on the frontline during the pandemic.

 

https://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/1275664/swan-shot-Stadt-Moers-Park-merseyside-rspca

 

 

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

England: David Attenborough’s chilling warning on humanity’s relationship with animals exposed.

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David Attenborough's chilling warning to humanity
David Attenborough’s chilling warning on humanity’s relationship with animals exposed

 

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH’s chilling warning about humanity’s dangerous relationship with animals was exposed – as an unearthed study revealed the damage that has gone on since the dawn of mankind.

 

Access the full article, with video, at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1276064/david-attenborough-news-bbc-climate-change-humanity-animals-relationship-warning-spt 

Environmental, General News

USA: Visiting the “murder” hornets

asiatische hornisse JPG

Asian giant hornets (known as ‘murder hornets’) have shown up in the US for the first time, giving Americans a “refreshing” change of pace and something else to worry about other than the deadly Covid-19 pandemic

In any other year, reports of murder hornets being in the US for the first time ever might instill some fear in people, but with the news dropping in the midst of a pandemic that has crippled the economy and left people under strict lockdown orders, it appears to have been greeted mostly with humor.

The worry now is these hornets could spread in the US and have a serious effect on the bee population, which in turn negatively impacts the many crops that need bees for pollination.

The WSDA has started an “aggressive trapping program” to stop the spread of the hornets and, hopefully, another potential crisis.

How have people responded to the news? Battleworn from Covid-19, the potential for a crisis with ‘murder hornets’ has been taken surprisingly well.

https://www.rt.com/usa/487646-murder-hornets-us-coronavirus/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email

 

And I mean…They say it’s definitely a spying horn-like drone !!!
Has China been sanctioned?
Or Russia?

lachen emoticonng

Monsanto and Bayer have been contaminating the bee world with only A FEW MILLION TONS of glyphosate for years, which is not only harm but also a crime.

And this crime goes on.

Since the United States is the main user of Monsanto and pollutes its environment with pesticides,  not only bees but millions of other insect species have died, which will lead to the inevitable hunger of the “murder” hornets.

hornisse-nahaufnahme

The WSDA’s aggressive trapping program is therefore unnecessary!

We have always thought that insects are the animals that survive best.
We thought wrong.
We did the calculation without to considere the professional environmental criminals Monsanto, Bayer and other giants.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News

Coronavirus: Australia urges G20 action on wildlife wet markets. The WHO; As Always, Years Behind On Actions They Should Have Taken In the Past – But Hey, What’s New ?

WAV Comment – What sort of idiots have we got in charge of organisations such as the WHO ? –   so you (WHO) are going to ensure that everyone conforms to stringent food and hygiene standards are you ?

We could say that your failures to act on these issues are what allowed wet markets to operate just as they have done in the past; ie unmonitored; is now the reason why the whole planet is in crisis.

We say a bit of a ‘shutting the stable door with useless words after the horse has bolted’ type thing.

WHO – fools governing foolish governments all over the world.  Now the world suffers and the words of enforcement and necessary actions are a little late.  You should have done your job of enforcement years ago.

 

The WHO says:

More recently, the head of the World Health Organization said all governments must “rigorously enforce bans on the sale and trade of wildlife for food”.

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “When these markets are allowed to reopen, it should only be on the condition that they conform to stringent food safety and hygiene standards.”

 

 

 

Coronavirus: Australia urges G20 action on wildlife wet markets

 

The Australian government is calling for the G20 countries to take action on wildlife wet markets, calling them a “biosecurity and human health risk”.

 

Australia is not yet calling for a ban – but says its own advisers believe they may need to be “phased out”.

“Wet markets” are marketplaces that sell fresh food such as meat and fish.

But some also sell wildlife – and it’s thought the coronavirus may have emerged at a wet market in Wuhan that sold live, “exotic” animals.

The Huanan market in Wuhan reportedly offered a range of animals including foxes, wolf cubs, civets, turtles, and snakes.

What did Australia say?

 

The Australian government called for an investigation into wildlife wet markets after a meeting of G20 agriculture ministers.

Speaking to the ABC on Thursday, agriculture minister David Littleproud said he was not targeting all food markets.

“A wet market, like the Sydney fish market, is perfectly safe,” he said.

“But when you add wildlife, live wildlife, exotic wildlife – that opens up human risk and biosecurity risk to the extent we have seen.

“And in fact, China themselves reported this to the World Organisation for Animal Health, that that was the cause of Covid-19.”

Mr Littleproud said he wanted to “get the science” first, but said: “Even our chief veterinary officer is telling us that he believes they [wildlife wet markets] may need to be phased out.”

 

What is the risk of wildlife wet markets?

 

The exact origin of the new coronavirus is not known, but the evidence suggests it came from an animal.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, Covid-19 is a “close relative” of other viruses found in horseshoe bats.

So the virus could have passed from bat to human, or via an “intermediate host” – one theory is bat, to pangolin, to human.

The Sars coronavirus is thought to have emerged in bats before passing to civets and then humans. The Mers coronavirus passed from camels to humans, after probably emerging in bats.

What has China done so far?

 

In January, China issued a temporary ban in the trade in wild animals, as it did during the Sars outbreak.

A month later, the government “thoroughly banned the illegal trading of wildlife” and “eliminated the consumption of wild animals to safeguard people’s lives and health”.

But since then, a number of reports have said wildlife is still being sold in markets in China and elsewhere.

More recently, the head of the World Health Organization said all governments must “rigorously enforce bans on the sale and trade of wildlife for food”.

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “When these markets are allowed to reopen, it should only be on the condition that they conform to stringent food safety and hygiene standards.”

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-52391783