Like it? Share it!

Article by Infofit

Antibiotics in Our Meat

80% of all antibiotics sold for livestock

80% of All Antibiotics Sold Are For Livestock

When it comes to nutrition concerns, this written piece is an eye opener… Did you know in 2011, pharmaceutical companies sold approximately 30 million pounds of antibiotics for livestock?  The largest amount ever recorded and nearly 80% of all antibiotic sales reported that year.

Instead of healing ill animals, these drugs are looked at as nutrition and fed to animals in small dosages to increase growth and to suppress diseases. Livestock is fed antibiotics because the animals live in dangerously close quarters drenched in each others waste.

Little is Know About Antibiotics Fed to Livestock

The F.D.A. knows little about the antibiotics that are being fed to livestock but monitors what kinds of antibiotic resistant bacteria are coming from livestock facilities. This is a major health concern, because giving healthy animals these drugs breeds superbugs that can infect the population. The problem is that we need to know more about antibiotics use in the production of our meat and poultry. The results could be catastrophic.

Need to Set Standard To Control Use

There are plenty of scientific evidence to justify setting a standard to control exorbitant use of antibiotics for livestock, yet the corporations are not only rebelling the proposed legislation to reduce these practices, they also oppose collecting any research data.

Medical institutions track antibiotic prescription and resistance rates of humans to better their understanding of how the use of these antibiotics affects resistance. This method needs to be practiced in agriculture too. When combating resistance, we require monitoring both the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in our food, as well as the use of antibiotics on meat production.

We Are Facing A Resistance Crisis

“Leaking small doses of antibiotics to the animals feed is not nutrition and a recipe for disaster by inviting an antibiotic resistance  crisis,” says Certified Sports Nutrition Advisor BCRPA personal trainer Cathie Glennon.  “It is important that we recognize that we are facing an antibiotic resistance crisis. Sweaty environments are ideal place to spread contamination. It is important that personal trainers be aware to keep your gym superbug free.”