shift northwards to the borders with regions with effective cultivation of grains and oilseeds – wheat, barley, corn, sun- flower and soybean,” Dalnov said. A growing number of milk farms are being built in the Russian northern regions. For ex- ample, the government of the Republic of Sakha said in 2020 that 11 new livestock farms were slated to be built in the region in the next several years.
Ancient viruses As explained by Mikhail Yulkin, chairman of the Russian Un- ion of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs’ ecological commis- sion, by expanding pastures to the regions previously caught in permafrost, Russian milk farmers could risk encountering a lot of surprising stuff. “The Arctic is a giant refrigerator containing a lot of different things. As it melts, different biota come back to life, including viruses. So, there are clearly risks that these territories indeed would become a source of new, or actually old, diseases, some of which don’t exist in the modern world,” Yulkin said, adding that in this regard, any expansion of agricultural operations to these lands must be carried out with great precautions. The scientists warn that anthrax might not be the worst thing
to find in the Arctic. In 2014 an ancient virus called Pithovirus sibericum was found in the Siberian permafrost and came back to life after it thawed. The virus had been in the ground for over 30,000 years but luckily did not pose a threat to hu- mans or animals. Scientists are concerned that some of the viruses yet to be found might be entirely new to humanity. “One of the consequences of climate change is the increase in such outbreaks of infectious diseases. The corpses of animals that died in epidemics tens and hundreds of years ago are preserved as old cemeteries in the permafrost,” said Vladimir Chuprov, head of the energy department of Greenpeace. According to Yulkin, some scientists even believe that these territories should be left alone for the time being. Some ap- proaches have been proposed in Russia during the past few years aimed at preserving permafrost for as long as possible, but if global warming continues at the current pace, they are unlikely to work. With this backdrop, Russian environmentalists believe that milk farmers opening new production sites in the warming parts of the Arctic must take into account the increased biosecurity risks, and direct more attention to hygiene and vaccination.
▶ DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 8, No. 2, 2021
One of the con- sequences of climate change is the increase in outbreaks of infectious diseases.
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
