Charity’s warning on trade deals and farming

The UK will be “complicit” in increasing the risk of future pandemics if post-Brexit trade deals do not protect nature and support sustainable farming, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has warned.

A new report from the conservation charity said the destruction of natural habitats and intensive farming are creating perfect conditions for another pandemic to emerge.

Covid-19 and other recent epidemics such as HIV, Sars and Ebola are “zoonotic” diseases which can be traced back to viruses that leap from animals to people, and the risk of wildlife and humans coming into contact with each other is on the rise, WWF warned.

Unsustainable food systems are driving large-scale conversion of land from forests to agriculture, in particular to meet increased demand for meat and dairy, the report said.

This is putting pressure on natural resources and bringing people, livestock and wildlife closer together, pushing up the chance of diseases moving from wild animals to humans.

The illegal trade in wildlife, low food standards and intensive livestock farming can also facilitate outbreaks.

The modern globalised world means an increasing probability new diseases can become devastating pandemics such as Covid-19, with serious impacts on health and food security, the report said.

In the UK, concerns have been raised that post-Brexit trade deals could allow the import of food produced with lower welfare or environmental standards than allowed here and undercut British farmers.