Commercial breeding of wildlife, also referred to as ‘farming’, is seen as the more common practice for the trade of wild animals and their products. On the one side, it provides income to the people, increases food security and has the potential to substitute the supply from wild populations to meet market demand, while on the other side, it can contribute to sustaining demand for wildlife products and is associated with unforeseeable health risks to humans, animals and the environment. A vivid example is the reported transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on mink farms in Europe in 2020/21, where the virus was introduced by humans after which it has spread and evolved further in mink before it went back into the human host. High infection pressure, low biosecurity measures and high contact rates within the animal population as well as between animals and farm workers provide an ideal ground for the rapid spread and evolution of human pathogenic microorganisms.