The swine flu strain that has infected at least 165 people since July 12 should make us think twice about raising pigs and other animals for food. Swine flu is called "swine flu" for a reason--because it afflicts pigs. The virus thrives at agricultural fairs and on pig farms, where tens of thousands of pigs are packed in filthy, damp sheds that stink of urine and feces.
While health officials have been quick to point out that people can't get swine flu from eating pork, they have failed to hammer home one significant detail: Raising pigs for pork is what puts the population at risk for swine flu in the first place.
If we don't want pigs or other farmed animals to be our downfall--either through animal-borne diseases or through heart disease, diabetes or cancer--it's time we reevaluate the way we treat them, and perhaps even the way we eat.
For more information and free vegan recipes and product suggestions, see www.PETA.org.
Heather Moore
PETA Foundation
