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The problem is that our economy is not as resilient to a pandemic as we would hope. Centralization of meat supply was economically desirable in a perfect world
by carapace 6y ago
The problem is that our economy is not as resilient to a pandemic as we would hope. Centralization of meat supply was economically desirable in a perfect world that doesn't contain e.g. Covid-19. However, since the world does contain that virus (and many others!) it behooves us to arrange our economic systems is ways that are resilient to viral pandemics.
Unless and until we can develop rapid identification and mediation technology mass international travel is a thing of the past. Covid-19 isn't the only virus in the world. In computer terms, our "attack surface" is too large.
I'm a proponent of applied ecology (Permaculture, et. al.) but not a virologist or epidemiologist, I like to think that a biomemetic agriculture would be both more humane and safer. (FWIW) I think we will have to create a kind of "cellular" society.
- carapace 6y agoOn the "new" list today: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23251734 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23251734 https://www.hcn.org/articles/covid-19-will-covid-19-help-save-small-slaughterhouses https://www.hcn.org/articles/covid-19-will-covid-19-help-sav... "Will COVID-19 help save small slaughterhouses?" > As laborers for the Big Four meatpackers fall ill, small slaughterhouses see unprecedented demand. > From 1990 to 2016, the U.S. lost more than 1800 livestock slaughterhouses, 40% of the industry. As small slaughterhouses closed, the so-called “Big Four” meatpacking companies — Tyson, Cargill, JBS and National Beef — came to dominate the industry. Today, these four companies process more than 80% of beef in the U.S. There it is: optimization of one metric to the detriment of others, resulting in overfitting, and exposed during a pandemic to rare-but-predictable crisis, it falls over.