A Doctor’s Perspective on Factory Farming - Part 2: Antimicrobial Resistant Germs

In my previous blog, I wrote about how factory farming makes future COVID-style pandemics and other new infectious diseases more likely. But this isn’t the only health risk that factory farming poses.

Perhaps the most frightening risk that factory farming poses is its contribution to antimicrobial resistant germs – which are able to resist most medical treatments, making these diseases extremely difficult to cure. If these germs become more common, even very simple surgeries will become dangerous, as we run the risk of catching incurable infections. Antimicrobial resistant germs already claim 1.27 million lives annually and threaten to become the leading cause of death globally by 2050.

Meat producers know that the dense and dirty living conditions on factory farms create a heightened risk of infectious diseases. To prevent the spread of diseases in their livestock they often use antimicrobial drugs. Antimicrobial drugs are medications that prevent or cure infections with bacteria, viruses or fungi. They are not only used to treat sick animals, but are often used preemptively in the whole herd. 

Antimicrobial drugs used on a large group of animals in a comparatively small dose will eradicate germs that are susceptible to them. Some bacteria, viruses or fungi, however, can have a mutation that makes them immune to the drug. In the absence of other germs with which they have to compete for resources, these resistant germs can quickly become the dominating infectious force in a population of animals.

Similarly to the spread of zoonotic diseases, some of these germs don’t stay in the animal population but can then spread to humans. The resistant germs lead to longer hospital stays, more expensive and potentially side-effect-heavy treatment, and they raise the risks of otherwise common and relatively safe medical procedures. The World Health Organisation estimates that antimicrobial resistances are directly responsible for over one million deaths and contributes towards almost 5 million deaths worldwide. 

Industrial meat production is not the only cause for the rise in antimicrobial resistance. For example antibiotic prescription practices in human medicine also need to be reviewed under this lens. This is another example where the One Health approach is needed to tackle a problem that goes beyond the health of just one species. 

What can we do about it 

The risks to our health from factory farming must not be seen in isolation from the other detrimental effects of this food system. Nor are they the only connection points between the wellbeing and health of animals and that of humans. Nutritional health and plant-based diets, as well as the health and mental wellbeing of factory farm workers in the face of the immense suffering of fellow animals are other important aspects to consider and worth discussing in their own posts. 

The billions of animals in our food system and their suffering might be well hidden from our everyday view, but we are still connected to them via the foods in our supermarkets, the workers in these facilities, the air and water resources that we share and, last but not least, the germs that circulate in our bodies. 

Wellbeing and health of humans, animals and the environment is closely linked. To improve our shared One Health we have to see these issues as connected.

Banning especially cruel practices in factory farming would help to reduce the stress placed on animals, which may mean that their immune systems will be better equipped to fight disease. This would make these farms less of a disease risk. Supporting a shift towards plant-based alternatives will help us eventually move away from factory farming altogether, reducing then eliminating its health risks. 

We can all help make this happen. For example by donating money towards organizations that support the transformation of the food and agricultural system, spending time volunteering, or changing our own diets. This can create a less cruel, safer, and healthier world for every being.