Page 10 - Demo

Page 10 %u2013 National Poultry Newspaper, March 2025 www.poultrynews.com.auWhy humans kill animals - Part 3KILLING animals has been a ubiquitous human behaviour throughout history, yet it is becoming increasingly controversial and criticised in some parts of contemporary human society. Over a four-part series, researchers from around the globe review 10 primary reasons why humans kill animals, discuss the necessity or not of these forms of killing and describe the global ecological context for human killing of animals. The article can be viewed in its entirety at sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723039062Humans historically and currently kill animals either directly or indirectly for the following reasons: %u2022 Wild harvest or food acquisition%u2022 Human health and safety%u2022 Agriculture and aquaculture%u2022 Urbanisation and industrialisation%u2022 Invasive, overabundant or nuisance wildlife control%u2022 Threatened species conservation%u2022 Recreation, sport or entertainment%u2022 Mercy or compassion%u2022 Cultural and religious practice%u2022 Research, education and testing.Last month we looked at the first two of the 10 reasons humans historically kill animals. The next three of those reasons are discussed here.3. Agriculture and aquacultureAgriculture and aquaculture are associated with the most globally prevalent forms of animal killing.Agriculture has been practiced by humans for at least 11,000 years and enabled humans to establish themselves as the dominant vertebrate on Earth.Agriculture includes the production and protection of both plants and animals in both small (that is subsistence farming) and large (that is commercial farming) quantities.Agriculture and aquaculture are forms of optimal foraging behaviour, whereby animals and humans obtain food resources in ways that minimise risk and optimise energy expenditure.These practices are also analogous to caching behaviour or food storage given that a live animal can convert biomass inedible to humans into edible protein that can be consumed later at times of seasonal shortage of other plant-based foods. Humans farm and kill a wide variety of mammals (domestic cattle, sheep, goats and pigs), birds (for example domestic chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons and ostriches), fish (such as Atlantic salmon, common carp and bluefin tuna) and other animals (prawns, oysters or turtles) for their meat. Animals are also farmed and killed for other reasons, such as obtaining milk and eggs (for example killing male dairy cattle or male egg-breed chickens) or feathers, fur, skins or leather (ostriches, crocodilians or American mink).Beyond the direct killing and use of farmed animals for food or fibre, wild predators and competitors of farmed animals and plants negatively affect the production of farmed species in many cases and are also intentionally killed to mitigate the agricultural production losses they would otherwise cause. Examples include the killing of canids, felids or mustelids to mitigate their predation on farmed animals or the killing of ungulates, macropods, birds or rodents to mitigate their competition for farmed plants.Other examples include killing infected domestic and wild animals to stem disease outbreaks that could harm and kill vast numbers of livestock and wild animals (for example biosecurity activities). Such diseases include foot-and-mouth disease, rabies, tuberculosis, anthrax, avian influenza, African swine fever and many others.Indirect killing occurs when non-target animals die from accidental poisoning associated with use of the drugs, pesticides and herbicides used to protect animals and plants or as bycatch in traps intended for damagecausing animals.Though it is not often viewed as a source of animal killing, the establishment and harvesting of crops (for example land clearing and tilling) required and still requires the direct and indirect killing and displacement of animals (that is interference competition) at enormous scales, as does the protection of crops following establishment (Fig. 2, see also reason 4).For example, redbilled quelea are killed in their millions to protect grain crops.Demand for soybeans and palm oil has also been a major driver of deforestation in South America and Southeast Asia, causing the displacement and death of innumerable animals through the destruction of the natural habitat they relied on.Many but not all of such crops or their byproducts might also be used for industrial nonfood purposes such as biofuels or livestock feeds.Approximately onethird of crops grown across the world also require animal manure for fertilisation, which inherently requires livestock farming to accumulate manure for later dispersal, causing consequent displacement and death of other animals.Whether animals are killed to be eaten or worn or because almost all animals have been eliminated from land where we now grow biofuel crops or food crops for ourselves or our livestock (see also ourworldindata.org/soy), animal killing is an indisputable and unavoidable component of both the plant and animal food production systems that support human life.Engaging in animal and plant agriculture and aquaculture in this way enables a greater amount of food to be obtained for humans than would otherwise be attainable through wild harvest (reason 1). It is of course possible to produce livestock and crops in ways that minimise both the direct and indirect impacts on wild animal lives, but generating food on such large scales to feed a large and growing global human population is impossible without killing animals.Killing animals for agriculture is a critical human food security endeavour, and many humans will die if humans do not kill animals to produce and protect animal-based and plant-based agriculture and aquaculture.n The next three of the ten reasons* continued P11A NEW CQUniversity-led research project is addressing a fastspreading pathogen that%u2019s ruffling feathers across the Australian poultry industry.Enterococcus cecorum is a contagious microorganism that causes severe health issues in birds. The infection can cause compression of the spinal cord, also known as %u2018kinky back%u2019, leading to paralysis and mortality.The AgriFutures Chicken Meat Program supports the study, %u2018The integrated investigation of enterococcus cecorum prevalence, transmission routes, predisposition factors, pathogenic mechanisms and mitigation strategies in broilers%u2019. Researchers from CQU%u2019s Institute for Future Farming Systems are conducting a comprehensive investigation into the prevalence, transmission routes, predisposing factors and pathogenic mechanisms of EC.IFFS molecular microbiology cluster leader Professor Dana Stanley described EC as one of the fastestgrowing health challenges in poultry production.%u201cThis pathogen has serious implications for the health of birds and the profitability of the industry,%u201d Prof Stanley said.%u201cWe%u2019re working to uncover the role of coinfection and microbial communication, how it spreads, how it causes disease and, most importantly, how we can stop it.%u201dThe research team is leveraging the most extensive dataset ever assembled on poultry microbiota by combining 165 studies. The study will utilise artificial intelligenceassisted prediction and analysis models to thoroughly interpret every aspect of EC outbreaks.Professor Stanley explained that this novel approach will provide valuable insights into EC%u2019s genomic profile.%u201cOur work goes beyond identifying the pathogen %u2013 we%u2019re uncovering its full genomic blueprint.%u201d%u201cThis is critical for designing interventions that are not only effective but also sustainable in the long term,%u201d she said. %u201cWe utilise genomics, molecular typing and co-culture experiments using a continuous culture gut simulator fermentation system.%u201cThe gut simulator allows us to test how EC behaves in the presence of other bacteria and additives like probiotics and prebiotics. %u201cThis is vital for identifying co-infection mechanisms and designing targeted interventions.%u201dProf Stanley added that the research was also focused on developing effective mitigation strategies to support the sustainability of broiler farming. The team aims to develop a suite of solutions, including enhanced biosecurity measures, probiotics, prebiotics and phytogen-based interventions.%u201cWe%u2019re committed to translating our findings into practical strategies that improve animal welfare, reduce industry losses and ensure sustainability.%u201d%u201cThis research represents a significant step forward in combating EC. %u201cBy understanding its behaviour and interactions at a molecular level, we can provide producers with the tools they need to protect their flocks and their jobs,%u201d Professor Stanley said. AgriFutures AustraliaPoultry pathogen research to crack kinky back