By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson

Intensive confinement of farm animals has substantial links to the origin and spread of diseases because of the sheer numbers of animals that are packed together in unsanitary and pathogenic environments. Photo by Alamy

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the world to acknowledge the pressing need to change our relationship with animals. From the wildlife markets implicated in the origin of the novel coronavirus to the slaughterhouses that have become clusters for its spread, we now know only too well that our uncaring attitudes and indifferent practices toward animals can have grave consequences for human health.

Health experts already agree that wildlife markets need to close wherever they exist because of the role they have played in this and past pandemics. But fur farms, puppy mills and factory farms are known breeding grounds for viruses and drug resistant bacteria too…