There has been a lot of talk about antibiotic use in meats these days and how humans are becoming resistant to certain types of bacteria because of the use of antibiotics in meat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are strongly urging meat producers to cut back on how much antibiotics they give to their animals (CBS News). However, does it matter if there are antibiotics in meat or not? Now a days, it seems if a person goes to the doctor with a sore throat and a runny nose, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics to clear it up when simple vitamin C and rest will work. So who is really responsible for the antibiotic resistance in the humans?
The FDA says that antibiotics are “posing a serious threat to human health”, so farmers should cut back on their antibiotic use in animals only giving them when they are sick and under the supervision of a veterinarian (CBS News). That could be a good idea, but what farmer can afford to pay the veterinarian bill every time one of his cows went down. According to the Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics, the average income of a farmer is 27, 375 and with a eight dollar veterinarian house call bill plus medicines for every time a animal goes down is far too much for a farmer with a limited income (Sanford and Luther).
There are programs that allow the use of antibiotics for both subtherapeutic and therapeutic treatment purposes in pork that requires producers to follow label directions and withdrawal use of antibiotics before slaughter (Iowa State). No subtherapeutic after the pigs are 40-100 lbs allows the use of antibiotics in young pigs solely to enhance production and to treat disease (Iowa State). With this program the levels of antibiotics in feed decreases and allows for a 60-days withdrawal and the half-life of the antibiotics results in meat that is completely free of antibiotics at slaughter (Iowa State). The program is very vigorous and requires the producer to pay attention to outside diseases and managing stress. Without the introduction of new pathogens into the farm from visitors and keeping the pigs comfortable and free of stress then the program works great and there is no antibiotics in the meat to be passed to humans.
Antibiotics and antimicrobials are an important and necessary tool that when used correctly can protect the well being and health of an animal. For cattle, keeping the cows healthy is a must since many feedlots and pastures share a common water hole and feed troughs. If one cow is sick all the cows can become sick. National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs support the use of antibiotics and antimicrobials if they are used so that the animal is treated properly and the antibiotics are not being over used (Peck). The BQA says that antibiotics are okay to use if they aren’t important in human science and to use a narrow spectrum of antimicrobials whenever possible (Peck). Also, antibiotics should be limited to prevent or control disease and should not be used to improve performance.
The repercussions of not using antibiotics in livestock are too great. There are too many diseases that affect livestock not using antibiotics when necessary could kill off a whole herd. Some diseases include contagious bovine pleuropnemonia, foot-and-mouth disease, and black leg (Phillips et al). Diseases like these can be treated with antibiotics and if they are not treated right away then they can spread and infect other members in the herd. Using antibiotics is the best route when protecting a herd from spreading disease. Antibiotics can be given shortly after birth and then given as boosters to prevent infection (Phillips et al).
Antibiotics are useful drugs. They prevent infection and can keep animals healthy when they are used properly. If antibiotics are used properly they are out of an animal’s system before slaughter and are at little risk to humans. Antibiotics are used to keep animals healthy, they may enhance the size of the animal but that is the last thing on a farmers mind. A farmer would want five healthy moderate cows than one super beefy cow.
Citations
Peck, Clint. Prudent Use of Antibiotics in Beef Production. Montana State Univeristy. 29 Sept 2009. http://beef.unl.edu.
Phillips, Ian, Mark Casewell, Tony Cox, Brad DeGroot, Christian Friis, Ron Jones, Charles Nightingale, Rodney Preston and John Waddell. Does the use of antibiotics in food animals pose a risk to human health? A critical review of published data. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Issue 53; 28-52. 4 Dec 2003. http://jac.oxfordjornals.org.
Sanford, Scott and Luther Tweeten. Farm Income Enhancement Potential For Small, Part-Time Farming Operations In East Central Oklahoma. Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics. Dec 1988. http://ageconsearch.umn.edu.
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