Experts and animal health activists says human are the biggest beneficiaries of proper management of both wildlife and livestock.
Speaking at the Journalist and Social Media Influencer training held on Wednesday October 26, 2022 at Taj Pamonzi Hotel in Lusaka, Farming Campaign Manager for World Animal Protection (WAP) Dr Victor Yamo said animal welfare is more important to human beings than animals.
He said animal welfare is a key in having quality animal products, food safety and security as well as public health.
Dr Yamo said animals too need to be provided with appropriate environment which includes shelter with comfortable resting areas.
“Overcrowding/ High density stocking of animals in a small room may cause mental health stress and fear” he said.
However, Dr Yamo also pointed out that animals are more inappropriate kept in urban areas than rural where they can feely move about.
According to statistics, about 1.72 billion people die per year globally because of too much consumption of meat , and the number might be doubled by 2050 if not avoided. Also at least 1.6 trillion wild animals are killed and suffer through people’s actions every year, he said.
He has however emphasized much on people to be eating lot of grown food, it is said that lot of diseases come from animals.
WAP Organization wants Government to recognize the inter- connected public health and planetary impacts of industrialized farming systems and commit to stopping the support for factory farm, Dr Yamo said this at the launch of the ‘Hidden Health Impacts of Industrial Livestock Systems in Africa’.
The organization has also urged the government to establish national plans to support a just transition away from industrialized livestock production towards agroecological systems that produce sustainable plant based foods and fewer farm animals in high welfare environments.
Animal welfare is the physical and mental state of an animal in reaction to the conditions in which it lives and dies (OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code 2019 Article 7.1.1)
The WAP has been in existence for over 70 years, and it’s vision is to make animals live freely from cruelty and suffering.
