Animal rights activists blame filthy factory farms for swine flu

May 21, 2009, 9:45 GMT

   Manila - Animal rights activists on Thursday took to the streets in the Philippine capital Manila blaming the global outbreak of swine flu on filthy practices on factory farms and encouraging people to become vegetarians.

   The activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wore yellow hazmat suits with gas masks and carried placards reading, 'Meat is toxic. Avoid the flu, go vegetarian,' as they marched towards the US embassy in Manila.

   They handed out guides to becoming vegetarian to people on the street until riot police officers stopped them and diverted them away from the embassy compound.

   'The group wants to remind potential travellers about the host of deadly diseases - including swine flu and avian flu - that are linked to intensive animal agriculture,' the group said in a statement.

   'Factory-farmed animals in general are invariably stressed and disease-ridden as a result of being crammed by the thousands into filthy sheds, which are breeding grounds for new strains of dangerous bacteria and viruses,' it added.

   PETA also warned that since pigs and other animals on factory farms are fed a steady diet of drugs to keep them alive in unsanitary and stressful conditions, there was a greater chance that drug-resistant superbugs would develop.

   Rochelle Regodon, a PETA spokeswoman, said it is well known that eating meat is linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer.

   'But factory farming threatens the health of everyone on the planet by providing a breeding ground for influenza and other diseases that could end up being the death of us,' she said.

   'The best way to protect our health - individually and globally - is to go vegetarian,' Regodon added.

   The Philippines has remained free of the swine-flu virus amid strict surveillance and monitoring procedures for travellers. The authorities are planning to step up the precautionary measures as neighbouring nations report cases.

   According to the World Health Organization, more than 10,200 cases of H1N1 influenza infection have been reported in 41 countries since April, with 80 deaths. The largest numbers of victims have been in Mexico and the United States.