World Animal Protection, a global animal welfare organisation, commissioned a public opinion poll to find out how Canadians feel about topics such as animal welfare, the environmental consequences of industrial animal agriculture, and antibiotic overuse. Canadians are concerned about the negative impacts of industrial animal agriculture, according to an EKOS research online survey of 2,143 Canadians conducted last month. With an election on the horizon, the charity hopes that all political party leaders would address such concerns throughout the campaign.
When it comes to protecting human health, 60% of Canadians agreed with many scientists who have linked antibiotic usage on farm animals to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sometimes known as "superbugs." Superbugs make it more difficult for humans to react to antibiotic treatment.
Antibiotic resistance genes were even discovered in rivers near industrial pig farms in Manitoba, according to a recent research by the charity. This is problematic because superbugs may infect people in a variety of ways after they have entered the environment.
The World Health Organization and the United Nations (UN) both have identified regular antibiotic misuse in animal agriculture as a major factor to the development of superbugs. Untreatable diseases claim the lives of 700,000 individuals each year. If no action is done to reduce antibiotic misuse, this figure is expected to rise to 10 million by 2050.
The online survey showed 60 per cent of Canadians support phasing out the prophylactic use of antibiotics in industrial farming. The strongest support for this came from women (65 per cent) and BC residents (68 per cent).