Abuja: The World Animal Protection (WAP) has sounded a warning the word could be mourning the loss of over 10 million lives annually by 2050, due to infections that are resistant to antibiotics.
Dr Patrick Mvinde, the Research and Planning Manager at WAP, disclosed this in Abuja at a workshop organised for journalists on Thursday.
The workshop entitled “Implication of Industrial Animal Farming in Nigeria” was organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO).
Findings by the researcher showed that at present, 1.27 million people die annually from infections that antibiotics cannot treat.
Mvinde blamed the situation on industrial farming, a system in which many animals are raised in highly intensive methods, confined and overcrowded under very controlled conditions.
He explained that the system caused suffering for animals, saying that of the 80 billion animals raised, 75 per cent, mostly chickens, pigs and cattle were in such systems.
“Lack of space leads to stress, deformities, movement problems; due to genetic selection, market weight is attained in as few as 40 days (Broiler).
“The increased weight gain strains key organs such as the heart and lungs, which cause severe joint pains and movement problems,” he said.
According to Mvinde, three-quarters of all antibiotics used in the world are used in farming, especially in factory farming, also referred to as industrial farming.
The veterinary expert noted that the residue of antibiotics used in farming often ends up in consumers and the environment, leading to antibiotic resistance in humans.
He stated that Avian Influenza, Swine flu, and other zoonotic diseases are typically associated with factory farming, and that COVID represents a trend of emerging zoonoses. Zoonotic diseases are those that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Mvinde warned that rather than embrace industrial farming, smallholder farmers should be supported to attain food sovereignty as well as sustainable environmental and human health.
Also speaking, the Programme Manager at HEDA Resource Centre, Mr Mayowa Shobo, cautioned against global industrial farmers making entry into Africa.
He said that a study conducted in five states in Nigeria showed that industrial farming had adverse effects on human and environmental health as well as the socio-cultural life of host communities.
Shobo stated that clearing vast land for industrial farming and its impact on the ecosystem were detrimental to ongoing climate change efforts.
He stated that industrial farms created visible jobs, but noted that opportunities were selective and wages were very low.
Shobo said that land decisions were made without genuine consultation, and that women and poorer groups were excluded from benefits.
According to him, complaints are rarely resolved, leaving communities feeling powerless in their homeland before industrial farmers.
“Government should also invest in health centres, flood control and early warning systems, while supporting local food production through seeds, inputs and protection of smallholder plots,” he said.