To industrialise you have to standardise. Or so they say.
The industrialisation of the meat industry has, as the process tends to, led to the standardisation of pigs used in the industry. This means the same breed of pig, bred for the same qualities and characteristics. This, natrually, over time, leads to whole swathes of genetically similar populations of pigs. And it only takes one virus particularly suited to target one breed of pig for mass epidemics to suddenly develop.
On top of that, the increased demand for the same pig breed used for meat production lowers the demand for pigs of a different breed. This has led to the saddleback pig breed to become endangered in the UK.
A healthier meat industry would, of course, be smaller. Focused on local producers, producing local, ethical and sustainable meat. But it would also mean a wider variety of breeds, in healthier conditions.
And to put things into perspective, we must remember that the vast majority of the total mammalian biomass (that is the total number of mammals on the planet) is made up of livestock at 62%. Wild mammals are just 4% of the total biomass.* Doesn't look so healthy, does it?
* Data from @ourworldindata
The industrialisation of the meat industry has, as the process tends to, led to the standardisation of pigs used in the industry. This means the same breed of pig, bred for the same qualities and characteristics. This, natrually, over time, leads to whole swathes of genetically similar populations of pigs. And it only takes one virus particularly suited to target one breed of pig for mass epidemics to suddenly develop.
On top of that, the increased demand for the same pig breed used for meat production lowers the demand for pigs of a different breed. This has led to the saddleback pig breed to become endangered in the UK.
A healthier meat industry would, of course, be smaller. Focused on local producers, producing local, ethical and sustainable meat. But it would also mean a wider variety of breeds, in healthier conditions.
And to put things into perspective, we must remember that the vast majority of the total mammalian biomass (that is the total number of mammals on the planet) is made up of livestock at 62%. Wild mammals are just 4% of the total biomass.* Doesn't look so healthy, does it?
* Data from @ourworldindata
