By now, most of us have heard about the over-use of antibiotics in factory-farmed animals. In parts of Europe and Canada, this sub-therapeutic dosage of antibiotics has been banned because of human health concerns – this is why:
15-17 million pounds of antibiotics are used in animal feed in the U.S. every year. It’s not only used to treat and prevent disease, but also to help the animal gain weight. Imagine if humans were administered antibiotics in every single meal they ate in the hope it would prevent disease outbreaks!
The main problem is that the widespread use will create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, and that is scary. Bacteria are smart – give them enough of one drug and they’ll outwit it. The biggest concern centers around the antibiotics that are also given to humans to treat serious illnesses. The problem is, that if you were to ingest the resistant bacteria by eating improperly-cooked food, you then may not respond to the antibiotic treatment given to you.
According to to a recent Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production report, “A key contributor to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is the overuse of drugs on industrial farms.”
“Antibiotics important to human health are fed to food animals at low doses, often over long periods of time, creating a breeding ground for new and resistant bacteria and a potentially hazardous workplace,” says the report.
Just recently, the Obama Administration released rules that would allow the meat industry to continue this misuse of antibiotics. If you care about this issue, please add your voice to this petition and let the Powers-the-be know that you consider this to be a public healthy hazard.
