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Advocates Call For Action On Factory Animal Farming

A group of 200 scientists, policy experts and advocacy groups is urging the World Health Organization to speak out about the public health dangers of industrial animal farms.

The group, which includes New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and environmentalist Bill McKibben, sent a letter to the WHO last week as the body gathered in Geneva for the World Health Assembly.

The WHO this week elected Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former health minister from Ethiopia to be the next director-general, replacing outgoing director Margaret Chan.

The letter urges Chan's replacement to take a strong stance against factory animal farming.

"As the global health community acknowledges the intertwined nature of planetary and human health, it must also confront the role that factory farming plays in climate change," the letter says.

The letter also calls for the WHO to urge its member nations to ban the use of antibiotics for boosting animal growth, curb factory farm subsidies, issue health warnings against meat consumption and support research into meat alternatives.

Read More:



  • Open Letter Urges WHO To Take Action On Industrial Animal Farming (The Lancet)
  • World Health Organization Elects First Director-General From Africa (NPR)


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