Would you become vegetarian to prevent future viruses transmitting to humans

[Welikebeingcosy]

Just a curious thought- would you become vegetarian if it prevented animals from being in close contact in huge numbers to humans?

Yes or No, and why?

No. I think as mammals we are naturally driven and designed to eat meat. Our teeth are formed to chew it. I accept we should probably eat a bit less but no I wouldn't cut it out.

I don't eat meat but if I did I don't think that argument would sway me.

No because being vegetarian would not prevent viruses from being transmitted to humans. Just co-existing in the same environment is all that is needed for viruses to transmit. Eating or not eating animals has zero impact.

I can’t imagine a scenario in which this would make sense.
Firstly surely everyone would have to be vegan rather than vegetarian.
Secondly stocking animals at lower density, free range, would likely have the same effect. I can’t imagine the risks of a Lake District sheep virus are anything like the risks of one from indoor reared pork.

Would I support stricter animal welfare regulations and a ban on intensive animal farming even if it meant I would have to significantly cut down my meat and dairy intake- yes. (I try to only eat high welfare meat but I admit I am not as scrupulous as I could be.)

No, and...

you only have to walk around a cave & touch bat droppings to pick up viruses from them. Are vegetarians banned from being anywhere near any animals?

@lljkk
Exactly. Or be exposed to mouse or rat droppings and inhale hantavirus which is far more deadly than covid.
www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-06-26/hantavirus-death-prompts-warning-from-new-mexico-health-officials

I suggested vegetarianism as opposed to veganism because I know one habit is easier to drop than two at once and the impact could be enough to reduce the likelihood of it happening again.

The point about mouse droppings and bat caves is insignificant because those incidences happen a lot less frequently in our world than the movement of animals in large quantities. If you just met with one or two animals of a species you're much more unlikely to catch a virus from them than if you are in contact with a whole herd or family of animals at once from the same place, for extended periods, like with the meat handlers. Also if you are wandering the countryside and a random duck comes close enough to you and sneezes on you to give you it's carrying you're also unlikely to be coming in contact with a whole lot of other people to pass those germs onto the entire world's population.

But yeah if you like I can change the question to 'would you become vegetarian AND give up your mouse dropping and cave sleeping habits and social distance from wild geese at animal parties?' if that suits you better?

Err no.

No. Mainly selfishly because I like it but also many of the other reasons mentioned.
I am however, actively trying to eat less.

No because I believe that’s a false premise. We have to exist alongside animals and even producing vegan foods requires working alongside and close to nature. Cross-species diseases are unavoidable see malaria and bubonic plague for examples.

However we have consciously reduced (not stopped) our animal product intake for environmental reasons.

Don’t forget give up all pets and social distance from squirrels on that list of yours too. Lots of deadly viruses and bacteria (rabies, Black Death, bird flu, etc) transmit from dogs, cats and pet rodents/birds and the like. Might as well give up horse and camel riding as well for same reason.

‘I suggested vegetarianism as opposed to veganism because I know one habit is easier to drop than two at once and the impact could be enough to reduce the likelihood of it happening again.‘

Well, banning eating meat while still keeping chickens for eggs and allowing the move to indoor cattle farming for dairy production to continue would be bonkers- it would leave some of the riskiest practices in place (avian flu anyone?) while making dairy production less efficient because we won’t be able to eat the male calves.

Would make far more sense to look at the riskiest practices in production of both meat and animal products (factory farming is the obvious one but someone who knows more than I do could probably add to this) and do something about them.

I stopped eating meat cos it’s better for the environment. I used to love it, now don’t miss it at all.

So my question to you would be would you give up all forms of meat and animal produce?

Sorry that was aimed at @TheCountessofFitzdotterel

No. I'd eat less meat because it's good for my health and good for the planet too but I wouldn't become vegetarian.

No. It wouldn't prevent viruses, which can be carried by insects, birds, rodents etc.

You could live in a sterile filtered environment which might achieve the effect you are suggesting, but I suspect you'd be in their on your own

*there

No. Because (a) there is not a shred on evidence that that is the only , or even the most common method, of zoonosis; and (b) because even if it were, viruses, like all other lifeforms, exist to reproduce, and they would then simply find another way of reproducing.

But excellent attempt at a goady post trying to blame eating meat for human diseases. Contrary to the mythology, there is no evidence to support the commonly held (mis)belief that eating any animal caused coronavirus (or any other virus) to jump to humans. It is a hypothesis, one unsupported by any evidence, and one which is not a little based on xenophobic attitudes.

@Welikebeingcosy

So my question to you would be would you give up all forms of meat and animal produce?

No because I can’t see a situation in which it is the most rational thing to do. But making everyone be vegetarian would make even less sense.

Everyone being vegetarian would have failed to prevent avian flu and failed to stop the spread of covid on mink farms.
Everyone being vegan would, but that still doesn’t make it the logical way to approach the problem.

Watched a program recently, it said plague was spread by fleas, lice, rats & humans

Therefore humans will never irradiate every animal, every insect

Diseases mutate

It is never ending

Other animals (non human) are all not vegetarian either

I became a vegetarian over 20 years ago, and have been vegan for the last 5 years. But no, I’m honestly not sure that viruses transmitting between species would have had any impact on me making those decisions.

@Moondust001 Well I eat meat so it's hardly goady- I'm just curious as to how people think. I'm not talking about eating it, I'm talking about food producers being around live animals caught or bred in the same environments in overpopulated numbers.