Industrial Food Animal Production and Community Health

Abstract

Industrial food animal production (IFAP) is a source of environmental microbial and chemical hazards. A growing body of literature suggests that populations living near these operations and manure-applied crop fields are at elevated risk for several health outcomes. We reviewed the literature published since 2000 and identified four health outcomes consistently and positively associated with living near IFAP: respiratory outcomes, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Q fever, and stress/mood. We found moderate evidence of an association of IFAP with quality of life and limited evidence of an association with cognitive impairment, Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus, birth outcomes, and hypertension. Distance-based exposure metrics were used by 17/33 studies reviewed. Future work should investigate exposure through drinking water and must improve exposure assessment with direct environmental sampling, modeling, and high-resolution DNA typing methods. Investigators should not limit study to high-profile pathogens like MRSA but include a broader range of pathogens, as well as other disease outcomes.

Updated systematic review: associations between proximity to animal feeding operations and health of individuals in nearby communities

“…It is uncommon for other reviews to explicitly assess the risk of bias or to state explicit eligibility criteria. One review did discuss the limitations of the cross-sectional studies that included the use of prevalent outcomes [30]. The authors of that review concluded that “there was sufficient evidence of an association between living near IFAP (industrial food animal production) and respiratory outcomes, MRSA, Q fever, and stress/mood.” [30].…”

“…One review did discuss the limitations of the cross-sectional studies that included the use of prevalent outcomes [30]. The authors of that review concluded that “there was sufficient evidence of an association between living near IFAP (industrial food animal production) and respiratory outcomes, MRSA, Q fever, and stress/mood.” [30]. The review authors also urged the use of prospective designs to obtain stronger evidence; this approach would provide a way to reduce the biases present in the current body of work.…”

The current state of knowledge on the interaction of Escherichia coli within vegetative filter strips as a sustainable best management practice to reduce fecal pathogen loading into surface waters

“…Manure-borne E. coil and other fecal pathogens present a serious management challenge for large and small feedlot operations, as well as, for management of range-grazing herds of domesticated species (Bicudo and Goyal 2003; Gerber et al 2010; Hubbard et al 2004). There is a critical need to balance cost-effective and sustainable management options to allow for continued production along while adequately protecting human health from risk of food and waterborne disease outbreaks (Bicudo and Goyal 2003; Boxall et al 2009; Casey et al 2015; Gerber et al 2010). The implications of these public health risks in surface waters from animal operations have been well established since the mid-1970s (Hubbard et al 2004; Tian et al 2002), and various mitigation strategies (including vegetative filter strips) have been implemented since the 1980s to address removal of various runoff contaminants into public waters (Lim et al 1998).…”

Composition and design of vegetative filter strips instrumental in improving water quality by mass reduction of suspended sediment, nutrients and Escherichia coli in overland flows in eastern escarpment of Mau Forest, Njoro River Watershed, Kenya

“…Potential routes of exposure for the public include contaminated milk or meat from livestock operations, crops from direct application of manure or manure-contaminated overland flow, and contamination into surface waters and drinking water (Bicudo and Goyal 2003). Increasing evidence illustrates a direct geographic correlation for increased risk for communities living in close proximity to food animal production areas or manure applied crop fields (Casey et al 2015). A major challenge for both large-scale production operations and small-scale local farming is how to ameliorate impacts of livestock on surface water quality to protect human health, while maintaining production and meeting nutritional needs (Hubbard et al 2004; Randolph et al 2007; Gerber et al 2010).…”

“…A major challenge for both large-scale production operations and small-scale local farming is how to ameliorate impacts of livestock on surface water quality to protect human health, while maintaining production and meeting nutritional needs (Hubbard et al 2004; Randolph et al 2007; Gerber et al 2010). As faecal contamination of surface water bodies by livestock feed operations can be multi-factorial in nature, various management strategies must be employed to adequately reduce public health risk, including limits on proximity to surface water sources, duration and rotation of grazing time and various mitigation strategies to reduce the contribution of overland flow of manure-borne pathogens into surface waters (Doran and Linn 1979; Edwards et al 1997; Bicudo and Goyal 2003; Tyrell and Quinton 2003; Gerber et al 2010; Casey et al 2015). In recent years, vegetated filter strip (VFS) has emerged as a low-cost, locally implementable, best management practice option to minimize these health risk, particularly for small-scale operations or to reduce risk from open pasture-derived overland flow (Stout et al 2005; Liu et al 2008; McLaughlin et al 2013; Yu et al 2013).…”