PETA: Before the COVID-19 outbreak, many people had never heard the term "wet market," which is believed to be the origin of the novel coronavirus. It's simply a market that sells live and dead animals—often of a variety of species—for human consumption, like those that exist in New York. SARS is a coronavirus that's believed to have first infected humans at a Chinese wet market, just like COVID-19... avian flu, swine flu, SARS, HIV, Ebola, and other diseases are linked to meat production or consumption... Although the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus…

OLI GROSS: The future of the US meat industry is in serious doubt as farmers are reporting a drastic decline in demand and are expecting the trend to continue. Industry leaders of the cattle industry have complained that coronavirus has caused the industry to plunge to its lowest level in a decade, while the pig industry dipped to its lowest level since October 2018... Rich Nelson, chief strategist for commodity broker Allendale, told Farming Independent... “Much of the trade still thinks the worst is in front of us.” The farming industry publication reported that many key markets are…

PAUL SHAPIRO: It’s easy for those of us in the Western world to shake our heads at the live wildlife markets in China that appear to be the origin of the coronavirus pandemic now paralyzing the globe. Easy, that is, since such a practice is so literally quite foreign to us. (In their defense, at least, China has now banned such markets.) But what’s more difficult is to be honest with ourselves about what kinds of pandemics we may be brewing through own risky animal-use practices. And while the new coronavirus, crippling as it is, might have a somewhat merciful case fatality rate (proportion…

EVGENY LEBEDEV: The coronavirus has emerged as yet another gruesome consequence of the way we treat animals. It is clear now that Covid-19 first crossed over from another species, and one potential origin is the pangolin, or scaly anteater. This mammal is poached in Africa and Asia for use in traditional Chinese medicine and has the questionable honour of being the most hunted creature in the world... They are majestic, beautiful animals in the wild. Yet in China, they are pathetic, caged things. Pangolin meat is seen as a delicacy, but some Chinese also believe the scales, once dried and…

MATTHEW BROWN: On March 15, vegan influencer Ed Winters, who often goes by the name “Earthling Ed” on social media, posted a graphic to his Instagram account stating that “COVID-19 was caused by eating animals.” "The new coronavirus pandemic would not have started if we didn’t farm and eat animals," Winters wrote. The post lists several other diseases that reached epidemic and pandemic levels, and it asserts that "the one thing they all have in common is that they started because of our exploitation of #animals." The graphic on the post concludes that “COVID-19 would not exist if the world…

PETA: What’s the link between meat and the coronavirus? As the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) grips the world, more and more people are isolating, quarantining, and wondering just how we got here. PETA has long warned about the health risks associated with eating meat. After all, raising animals for food in filthy conditions is a breeding ground for diseases that can be transmitted to humans... Public health experts believe COVID-19 originated at a “wet market” in China, where vendors sell both live and dead animals for human consumption. COVID-19 is similar to the outbreaks…

LINDA SATTER: Groups that challenged Arkansas' "ag-gag" law, a 2017 measure that allows civil penalties against anyone who exposes animal cruelty or environmental abuses at Arkansas farms, filed notice Thursday that they will appeal last month's dismissal of their federal lawsuit. The law, Arkansas Code 16-118-113, applies to anyone who releases documents or recordings from nonpublic areas of commercial property, including journalists conducting undercover investigations. On Feb. 14, U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. threw out a lawsuit challenging the law's constitutionality, saying the…

PRIYADASHINI PATWA: 'The year was 2000 and Veganism was far from the popularity it has gained today. The world saw a significant rise in the vegetarian diet and it has become the most in-vogue dietary trend. A quick jump to 2020 and every newspaper, social media you scroll through, Veganism finds its way in your day-to-day reading diet... The last couple of years have seen a great spike in the number of people turning vegan. But what is Veganism exactly? It is primarily a philosophical movement that rejects the death, suffering, and exploitation of animals. It's an ethical consumer choice…

MIA RISHEL: 'Despite being important stakeholders in the food chain, consumers and the general public know very little about how their food is produced, perhaps especially when it comes to animal products... While the public’s knowledge about animal welfare in modern farming practices is limited, studies show a growing desire for naturalness, and concern about the use of antibiotics along with an increasing perception that healthier, happier animals produce healthier products. This study confirmed these trends and explored attitudes towards disease interventions in intensive production…

LIZ LITTLE: 'Illegal 'wet animal markets' where it's believed the Coronavirus originated are still operating under organised crime gangs... Confronting footage shows cage after cage of wild “high risk” animals being stored for their slaughter and sale in wet markets, despite Asian governments claiming they had been shut down following the COVID-19 outbreak... Covert footage showed African serval cats, fennec foxes from the Sahara, marmosets from South America, blue-tongued lizards, iguanas, monkeys, Australian cockatoos, African meerkats, ferrets, rare tortoises, porcupines, snakes and…