Updated April 17, 2020 19:28:46

Photo: Wet markets sell meat and other fresh goods, and are common in several countries. (Furious George 1; Wikimedia Commons)

Wet markets have been forever linked to coronavirus, thanks to those early cases at Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Market last year.

They conjure up a picture of live, exotic animals and strange meats hanging from hooks. But there's a big difference in wet markets around the world, and even inside China.

And if you've shopped for fresh food outside a supermarket in Australia, chances are you went somewhere that could be called a wet market in other countries.

OK, what is a wet market?

It's a catch-all term for places that run individual stalls selling fresh food, quite often under one roof.

And in countries where big supermarket chains aren't as widespread, it's common to get fruit, vegetables and butchered meats from different vendors at a wet market.

So far, pretty similar to your average farmers' market.

And wet markets are popular not just in Asia, but parts of Africa and the Middle East.

But the big difference is that some wet markets in China (and other countries) will sell you a live, exotic animal alongside your fresh greens.

Photo: Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Market was put under lockdown for months. (Reuters: Stringer)

So what's been the issue with wet markets overseas?

It partially boils down to how animals are farmed and sold.

Professor Clive Phillips, from the University of Queensland's Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, says while there's nothing necessarily bad about wet markets, some had returned to selling wildlife.

And that can be a problem.

"They're usually not domesticated species so they're highly stressed by being kept in captivity, by being caged, so I think we are asking for trouble if we farm these animals and then sell them," he says.

"They acquire diseases much more readily because the stress supresses your immune system.

"When the animals are stressed and the hygiene isn't good, it's more likely to be contaminated."

Photo: Pangolins are one of the theorised links between humans and the coronavirus, and could be purchased at some markets. (Reuters: Kham)

He says domestic animals bred for eating (say, for example, cattle and sheep) are much more willing to tolerate a human presence.

Animals like pangolins, one of the theorised links between humans and this pandemic, are not.

"The pangolins are reared in individual cages, they are very definitely wildlife. They would not have any of the genes which encourage them to tolerate the presence of humans and the caging process," he says.

What's been happening in China since the coronavirus outbreak?

Wet markets in Wuhan did reopen last weekend after months of lockdown.

But shoppers are bypassing the stalls as stigma from the virus continues.

There's also a campaign in Wuhan to upgrade the 425 farmers' markets there, according to city officials, which will cost 200 million yuan ($22.8 million).

And the Chinese government also slapped a ban on breeding, trading and eating wildlife in February, promising to follow-up with revised laws to make it permanent.

Breaking down the latest news and research to understand how the world is living through an epidemic, this is the ABC's Coronacast podcast.

Draft guidelines list 18 animals as traditional exemptions, including cattle, pigs, poultry and camels.

But more species would fall under the "special" tag and also be exempt from restrictions.

There's 13 of those and they include reindeer, alpaca, pheasants, ostriches and foxes.

And the final list could look different again, with the proposed changes up for public feedback until May.

Photo: Wholesale markets in China sell butchered meats and fresh vegetables. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)

But attitudes generally are changing.

"One of the things we forget is that wildlife isn't that commonly eaten in China, it's largely restricted to the southeast region and a small proportion in other towns," Professor Phillips says.

"I've been up in the north and inner Mongolia and they think it's both bizarre but also rather unhealthy to eat wildlife."

And while the World Health Organisation backed the reopening of China's wet markets, saying "they are a source of livelihood and food security to many people", politicians were critical including here in Australia.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the markets being re-opened was "unfathomable".

"There is a very real likelihood that this disease arose from a wet market in Wuhan. It's clear that these are dangerous vectors," he told ABC's News Breakfast.

"So we might disagree on this issue with some of the international authorities, but our job is to protect Australians, and I would imagine that around the world, the vast majority of people would have a similar view."

Topics: infectious-diseases-other, covid-19, respiratory-diseases, animals, china

First posted April 17, 2020 18:44:37