Antibiotics: Big Ag’s Can of Worms

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By Dipika Kadaba

The emergence of multiple pandemics in the animal agriculture industry over the past few decades, coupled with COVID-19’s suspected origins in wildlife meat markets, has prompted renewed calls from experts to transform the global food system to prevent diseases harmful to humans.


Industrial agriculture puts humans in contact with scores of animals in cramped conditions, which is ideal for disease transfer.

But that’s only one of the health dangers it causes. Antibiotics are used ubiquitously in all kinds of large-scale agriculture, causing antibiotic resistance and environmental toxicity that studies show we’re not prepared to combat.

Watch our new video to learn more about issues arising from antibiotic use in agriculture.

Dipika Kadaba is an ecologist who uses data visualization and design to communicate environmental issues in her role as The Revelator’s visual storyteller. Her interdisciplinary work originates in her background in environmental health research as a veterinarian, a graduate degree in conservation science, and a lifetime spent creating webcomics and animations for fun.

Reposted with permission from The Revelator.

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