Pig pandemic: Industrial hog farming in eastern Mexico

Industrial hog farming is an increasingly important land use in Mexico. Despite the known public health and environmental risks associated with this factory-style model of production, hog concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) remain unregulated. Legal standards regarding the establishment and operation of swine CAFOs are lacking at municipal, regional, and federal levels. There are currently no restrictions on the size, concentration, or geographic location of operations, and public notice to surrounding and downstream communities is generally not required. These lax environmental standards facilitate swine CAFO expansion in regions such as the Perote Valley, with potential for negative long-term impacts on public health, community well-being, water resources, ecosystems, and climate.     

Consumer voting and demand behavior regarding swine gestation crates

Consumers are increasingly interested in how animals are handled, transported, and cared for. This study provides the first examination of US resident support for a ballot initiative banning use of gestation crates (stalls) in the swine industry. Results suggest latent associations consumers possess between gestation crate use and perceptions of food safety, pork quality, and farm size are more influential determinants of ban support than observable socioeconomic factors. Implications for consumer groups, policy makers, and the swine industry are assessed. Moreover, several suggestions for valuable future research are outlined.     

An analysis of the impact of swine CAFOs on the value of nearby houses

The impact of 39 swine confined or concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Black Hawk County, Iowa on 5,822 house sales is explored by introducing a new variable that more accurately captures the effects of prevailing winds, exploring potential adverse effects within concentric circles around each CAFO, managing selection bias, and incorporating spatial correlation into the error term of the empirical model. Large adverse impacts suffered by houses that are within 3 miles and directly downwind from a CAFO are found. Beyond 3 miles, CAFOs have a generally decreasing adverse impact on house prices as distance to the CAFO increases.     

美国应对甲型H1N1流感的经验及防控建议

甲型H1N1（猪）流感这一新型流感病毒的突然爆发是对世界公共卫生系统防治流行病传播的一次考验。美国以及世界各国在应对此次甲型H1N1流感爆发中展示了应对流行疾病防控能力和经济实力，当然，也暴露了不少不足之处。倘若疫情的范围进一步扩大、严重性增加，美国公共卫生系统会无法承受。本文简要阐述美国智囊组织对美国应对甲型H1N1流感爆发的经验和防控建议，以及作者的几点启示。