The engine that is driving the re-emergence of many of the diseases is ecological change that brings humans into contact with pathogens.

The development of antibiotic resistance in any pathogen is the result of medical and agricultural practices. The indiscriminate and inappropriate use of antibiotics in medicine has resulted in hospitals that are the source of multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria that infect a large number of patients.

Agricultural use in which animal feed is supplemented with sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics has risen dramatically
in the last half century. In 1954, 500,000 pounds of antibiotics were produced in the United States; today, over 40,000,000 pounds are produced annually.

Recently, much attention has focused on the detrimental effects of industrialization on the international environment, including water, land, and atmosphere.

Massive industrial production of commodities has caused pollution. Increasingly there is concern over the health implications of contaminated water supplies, over-use of pesticides in commercialized agriculture, atmospheric chemicals and the future effects of a depleted ozone layer on human health and food production.

At no other time in human history have the changes in the environment been more rapid or so extreme. Increasing incidence of cancer among young people and the increase in respiratory disease has been implicated in these environmental changes.

The scale has changed.The rates of emerging disease and their impact can now affect large segments of the world population at an ever increasing rate, and we need to be increasingly aware of the implications for today s human populations around the globe.("National Museum of Natural History Bulletin for Teachers Vol. 18 No. 3, Fall 1996")

http://ucsusa.wsm.ga3.org/food_and_environment/antibiotics_and_food/hogging-it-estimates-of-antimicrobial-abuse-in-livestock.html

It appears that we have learnt nothing from yesteryear.

"Yes, you are correct, however I am more reffering to the truck driver who relies on the farmers crops for freight, or the fruiterer, who relies on the farmers crops for re-sale, or of cause, the butcher who relies on meat from farmers to re-sell. None of these businesses get relief!"

I never considered the other businesses attached to farming. But I also don't really understand the "relief" concept. I am guessing this relief is given to the farmers to keep them on their land and maintain an existance without profit..?

Other industries are a business and also get no profit when times are hard, why should they? So the governement says to a truck driver, sorry no work this season, go home, park the truck, go on the dole and maintain your existance until times are better.

Is this what happens? Is it unfair?

""Isn't this how a country makes money?""
"Wasn't my argument, I was merely making a point."

The point was that we over produce... can a country not do this? Or is this about greed instead of need. Cramming in animals for profit, if you sit and really think about it as a concept instead of a reality is bizzare.

Stay with me for a sec... if all animal products were the same price it would immediatly become an ethical question as to whether we bought factory anything or free range anything. What would be your preferred choice of product?

""My neighbours do. Sorry slipped out.""
"Yes, but do they then sell to the re-sellers or exporters, or do they provide for them selves."

I'm not asking them that!

Ylewej.

Πρωταγόρας:"At no other time in human history have the changes in the environment been more rapid or so extreme. Increasing incidence of cancer among young people and the increase in respiratory disease has been implicated in these environmental changes."

Okay, hang on because I have it in my head and I'm going to try really hard to explain this thought...

People used to live in little villages or roam, they died of things like toothache gone bad or a boil gone wrong. Later people were covered in pockmarks and a dose of flu would have halved populations overnight in towns.

These "new" conditions may have always been there but only the latest medical advances have been able to identify them and only population growth bought there notice.

Things don't seem so bad now for humans. Without another planet earth to observe we are unable to be able to make the comparison to see if we are doing okay or not.

So the only comparison is recent history and are we doing better than humans 150 years ago

I think it's the animals' revenge. And how richly deserved!

Other industries are a business and also get no profit when times are hard, why should they? So the governement says to a truck driver, sorry no work this season, go home, park the truck, go on the dole and maintain your existance until times are better.

Well at the moment if you loose yor business, or your job and you have 'assetts' then you will not get the dole straight away.

Now most businesses that close have been trading at a loss until such time as all their reserves have been exhausted, then they shut.

All I am saying is that it appears that the farmers get releif when it dos'nt rain and releife when it rains to much.

Another classic was the pilots strike in the 90's.

The airline got support but the tourisum indudtry didn't.

As for disieses I still say that globalisation is our biggest problem. The world has become to small and to accesable to many.

Not as small as in the pig world rehctub. Thousands upon thousands of pigs crammed into sheds. No sunlight no natural stimulation. Forced to live with their own excrement. Artificial heat, lighting, reproduction, growth stimulants, hormones and the overuse of antibiotics and other drugs. Add in the frightening amount of toxic effluent they produce along with the threat it presents to air and water quality, and we have a giant, very efficient disease incubator.

How long can we bury our heads in the sand?