VK3AUU

Your suggestions of farming feral animals may have merit, however, this would only exacerbate the degradation of our biodiversity and increase the carbon footprint of factory farmed animals.

Increasing the farmed numbers of cloven-hoofed animals is most imprudent when one considers the damage to land masses and the recurring diseases these animals are now suffering. Countries are continually banning imports of meat and destroying livestock due to foot and mouth disease etc and meat growers are now having one hell of a time in preventing all the other diseases prevalent in farmed animals.

I don't believe we can continue to force-feed animals toxic chemicals and incarcerate them in confined spaces for much longer.

Mother Nature and the animals are rebelling. Bird flu, SARS, TB, Anthrax, Mad Cows Disease, Rabies, Ebola, West Nile Virus, Avian flu etc have all originated in animals. HIV/Aids is also thought to have originated in the monkey. Human infections are on the increase!

The routine feed of antibiotic growth promoters is assisting in breeding anti-resistant microbes. Pathogens in animal and bird faeces disseminated through the air is passed on to humans and other animals.

Already the animal grazing industry occupy 58% of Australia's land mass. How much more land grab will be required with the increase in population?

Australia should be leading the world in educating its people on the benefits of limiting meat consumption, thereby freeing up additional land for plant foods.

However, as in climate change matters, the status quo in inhumane factory farming will continue and we will as usual, attempt to find solutions only when conditions become a matter of serious urgency!