# What would happen if cattle or poultry became infected with SARS-Cov2? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [December 2, 2021, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368 "2021-12-02T12:10:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/1 "2021-12-02T12:10:33Z")
I know the virus has been detected in mink, dogs, cats, some zoo animals. It’s also been detected in wild deer. But what happens if it turns up in a species that’s used for food on a large scale ? It seems likely that the virus wouldn’t survive cooking, but wouldn’t a fraction of the public be afraid to eat that species ? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/2 "2021-12-02T13:04:40Z")
Detecting the virus is no big deal, detecting that the virus can be transmitted from cattle to cattle or from poultry to poultry would mean an awful lot of culling. For poultry see, for instance, culling because of avian flu (and tat is not even transmittable to humans!). For cattle see BSE culling. Easy to find on the net. Yes, people would be wary, and rightly so. Before cooking there is contact with the meat. Just like with salmonella, it could jump to the uncooked salad. But I hope if the zoonotic contagion was detected the meat would not reach the consumer. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/3 "2021-12-02T15:03:14Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > wouldn’t a fraction of the public be afraid to eat that species ? I wouldn’t. I haven’t ever seen anything to suggest that people could become infected with Covid from ingesting it, only from inhaling it. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/4 "2021-12-02T22:23:50Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > For cattle see BSE culling. That was a nasty one – entire herds were being slaughtered and cremated (in that order, I hope). Will they start doing the same when Covid gets loose in cattle? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/5 "2021-12-02T22:26:52Z")
Nobody has said that Covid _will_ get loose in cattle. It seems improbable that it ever will. But if it does, of course they will. What else do you expect? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/6 "2021-12-02T22:29:59Z")
You don’t breathe when you eat? You are missing most of the taste and some subtle aromas. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/7 "2021-12-02T22:41:56Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > It seems improbable that it ever will. I’d say that it seems like as prevalent as COVID is in the world, it would have already made that jump by now. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/8 "2021-12-02T22:44:01Z")
That is what I meant: it seems Covid is not good at infecting cattle (or poultry). That is good. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-cattle-or-poultry-became-infected-with-sars-cov2/955368/9 "2021-12-03T19:38:22Z")
But it seems well suited to infect hippos (link in French): > **[Les animaux également touchés par le Covid: deux hippopotames testés positifs...](https://www.lalibre.be/regions/flandre/2021/12/03/les-animaux-egalement-touches-par-le-covid-deux-hippopotames-testes-positifs-au-zoo-danvers-PXUDCGGJG5HDRFDP3ZSKIOF5BI/)** > > Deux hippopotames du zoo d'Anvers ont été testés positifs au Covid-19, indique vendredi le parc zoologique dans un communiqué.