Context:

• The current outbreak of H5N1 was a disaster waiting to happen, as experts have been sounding alarm bells on the unsafe conditions at industrial livestock production.

Scale of spreading H5N1 virus:

• Origin of H5N1: The first H5N1 infection spilt over to humans directly from chickens in Hong Kong in 1997.
• Spread of H5N1 in India: The first H5N1 patient was reported in Maharashtra in 2006. An outbreak in December 2020 and early 2021 spread across 15 States.
• Spread in Other Species: This pathogen has crossed many species barriers, causing mortality among the polar bears in the Arctic and seals and seagulls in Antarctica.
• Human Fatality Rate: As per WHO, the fatality rate for H5N1 among humans is estimated at 52%, with 463 deaths recorded since 2003 out of 888 diagnosed cases.
• Transmission: Almost all human infections with H5N1 are linked to close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments, emphasizing the importance of biosecurity measures.
  • These contaminated environments are created by cramming chickens in wired cages, or ‘battery cages’, in high densities. 

Challenges in poultry farming:

• Regulating Large Poultry Units: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has classified poultry units with more than 5,000 birds as a polluting industry that requires compliance and regulatory consent to establish and operate. 
  • Some poultry industrial units have been issued closure notices by the CPCB for being in violation of the law.
• Environmental Challenge: The resultant air quality and waste problem has a significant footprint in India due to the odor, particulate matter, and other greenhouse gas emissions.
• Exiting Industry Challenges: Due to contract farming, large debts and a very specialized skill set, poultry farmers often find it difficult to exit the industry, despite the losses. 
• Market Volatility & Industry Practices:  The farmers suffer due to market volatility and the prevalent practices pushed by industry giants. 
  • For instance, antibiotics are regularly given to birds as a prophylactic and as growth promoters so that more animals can be grown for greater profit.
  • Experts predict the rising demand for protein will cause a surge in antibiotic use in livestock.
• Antibiotic Misuse in Poultry Farming: Several antibiotics classified as critically important and highly important by the WHO are widely sold to farmers for preventative use. 
  • Prescribed to day-old chicks to reduce the likelihood of disease and mortality, this practice is still being commonly recommended.
• Animal Cruelty in Industrial Farming: Keeping animals in intensive confinement constitutes a crime under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
• • Moreover, the operational activities at these industrial facilities cause unnecessary pain and suffering to the animals because of mutilation, starvation, thirst, overcrowding, and other ill-treatment, which is also a violation of the PCA Act.

Major Impacts of Poultry Industry:

• Health and Welfare Concerns: Animals are heavily stocked in unsanitary conditions. Not only does this have a detrimental effect on the welfare of animals and the health of those who consume the food derived, but also on the people working at these facilities and residing in the vicinity. 
• Manure Disposal:The faecal matter generated at these facilities is collected periodically by local farmers for use as fertilizer. The amount of piled-up manure exceeds the carrying capacity of the land and becomes a pollutant. 
• Crop Damage: Farmers complain of their crops getting damaged and piles of waste becoming a breeding ground for disease vectors such as flies.
• Health Risks: Residents are compelled to adopt measures such as spraying insecticides inside homes, leading to breathlessness and a nauseating smell.

Way Forward:

• Antibiotic Resistance: The 269th Law Commission of India Report in 2017 highlighted evidence from the Tata Memorial Centre regarding the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics in poultry farming, leading to antibiotic resistance due to unhygienic living conditions.
  • It further said that with more open, cleaner, and ventilated living spaces, animals are less likely to need constant antibiotics, making their eggs and meat safer for consumption.
• Draft Rules for Welfare: The Law Commission 269th recommended a set of draft rules for the welfare of chickens in the meat and egg industries, aligning with existing laws and international best practices for animal care, waste management, and antibiotic use.
  • The Draft Rules for the egg industry released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare in 2019 were criticized for being weak and tokenistic, failing to meet the recommendations of the Law Commission.
• Need for Oversight and Enforcement: Given the reclassification of the poultry industry as a highly polluting ‘orange category’ industry by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), strict oversight for compliance and enforcement of environmental regulations is essential.

Conclusion:

In light of the bird flu public health crisis and the climate emergency, it is crucial for the situation to be addressed.

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