Issue Rising meat demand and livestock trade raising pandemic risk

Summary

Among the longer-term uncertainties for animal disease, the report sets out a chain of effects from rising global meat consumption. Greater demand for meat could expand the trade in livestock. In the report's judgement, this could make zoonotic outbreaks worse and possibly lead to a major human pandemic in the UK. The report explains that about 60% of emerging human infectious diseases start in animals, and that since 1940 agricultural intensification has been linked to a large share of new zoonoses. It also observes that some animal diseases could cause a pandemic like COVID-19, and it identifies expanding global trade as a factor that raises disease risk.