One million human deaths linked to factory farming, set to double by 2050
NEW YORK, April 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The excessive use of antibiotics in factory farming is causing the premature deaths of nearly one million people and $400 billion in global economic losses each year, according to a report titled Global Public Health Cost of Antimicrobial Resistance Related to Antibiotic Use on Factory Farms published today by World Animal Protection.
- In the first study of its kind, World Animal Protection has found that four superbugs common in factory farming – Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, and non-typhoidal Salmonella – were linked to 975,000 human deaths and 35 million illnesses in 2019.
- The report details how the human death toll linked to factory farming superbugs is on course to double by 2050 to 2 million if no immediate action is taken.
- World Animal Protection is calling for a global moratorium on factory farming to safeguard animal welfare, human health, and the environment.
- National governments must outlaw building new factory farms and expanding current farms to protect public health and farmed animals.