83% of Scots want intensive farming methods to be banned, according to a new survey conducted on 2,000 Scottish residents.
Factory farms see poultry, pigs, or cattle confined into tightly-packed indoor pens. Currently, around two-thirds of farmed animals are factory farmed, totalling an estimated 50 billion animals.
According to the survey, which was commissioned by the vegan charity Viva! Scottish residents have a newfound concern over the impact that intensive farming might have on the spread of viruses or infectious diseases.
Currently, 3 in 4 of the world’s new or emerging infectious diseases come from animals – mainly from factory farming or the wildlife trade.
The survey also revealed that 29% of Scots are considering reducing their meat consumption or going vegan in 2021, due to the environmental and health benefits of doing so.
Currently, livestock is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 67% of deforestation.
Therefore, many experts have highlighted that reducing meat consumption is a key way to reduce your carbon footprint and help to mitigate against the impacts of the climate crisis.
Director of Viva! Juliet Gellatley said: ‘Experts agree that factory farming is one of the leading causes of the mutation and spread of killer viruses between animals and humans.
‘We are playing Russian Roulette with the lives of millions of Britons by continuing to permit farmers to cram thousands of animals together in despicable conditions.
‘Today the people of Scotland have spoken. It’s time to end factory farming before it ends us.”
Senior health researcher Dr Justine Butler added: ‘Across the UK we are seeing outbreaks of avian flu in factory farms as well as backyard chickens.
‘The scientific evidence could not be clearer. When you farm animals intensively you risk increasing the chance of mutation and spread of dangerous viruses.’
In related news, according to a study conducted by Blue Horizon and PwC, if 10% of the population switched to plant-based alternatives 176 million tonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided.
Photo Credit – Pixabay