Antibiotics in the food chain
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Antibiotics in the food chain
Hi, A CBS news report stated that " 80 % of the U.S produced antibiotics are used in the growing of our meat products". This is producing new strains of bacterias that are resistant to antibiotic treatment. Today, the first public warning about this was on the news about making sure to cook chicken to it s proper temperature. If you get sick from eating undercooked chicken, current antibiotic treatment may be ineffective. The antibiotics are added to the feed to most of the animals raised for the food chain. This would exclude the free ranged raised animals. Antibiotics are only used for free ranged animals after being prescribed by a vet. Jon
Jon,
That report reminds me of the way that the Wall Street Journal historically, consistently predicts recessions after they have already bottomed out.
That report is about 15 or 20 years too late. The FDA is currently working with pharmaceutical companies and livestock and poultry producers to change the regulations that allow the use of antibiotic feed additives for growth control and disease prevention. All parties involved seem to be willing to agree to voluntarily make the change so that in the near future, a vet's prescription will be needed before antibiotics can be used. This will allow a much faster implementation of the changes. Otherwise, it would take an act of Congress to make the change by means of conventional (legal) channels.
Phasing Out Certain Antibiotic Use in Farm Animals
FDA plan would seek voluntary limits of antibiotics in animal feed
Tex
That report reminds me of the way that the Wall Street Journal historically, consistently predicts recessions after they have already bottomed out.
That report is about 15 or 20 years too late. The FDA is currently working with pharmaceutical companies and livestock and poultry producers to change the regulations that allow the use of antibiotic feed additives for growth control and disease prevention. All parties involved seem to be willing to agree to voluntarily make the change so that in the near future, a vet's prescription will be needed before antibiotics can be used. This will allow a much faster implementation of the changes. Otherwise, it would take an act of Congress to make the change by means of conventional (legal) channels.Phasing Out Certain Antibiotic Use in Farm Animals
FDA plan would seek voluntary limits of antibiotics in animal feed
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Jon - that is one of the reasons I eat only grass fed meat products. Most stores are beginning to carry them, but I find it cheaper to order from one of the farmers or slaughter houses around here.
I was lucky today. My local Ralph's had a whole lot of grass fed beef on manager's special because they were coming up to their sell by dates. A whole bunch of steaks are now in my freezer.
I was lucky today. My local Ralph's had a whole lot of grass fed beef on manager's special because they were coming up to their sell by dates. A whole bunch of steaks are now in my freezer.
Jon,
Yes, 50 years is probably a conservative estimate. We had several hundred head of cattle in our on-farm feedlot back in the early 1970s, and antibiotics in feed was commonly available then. You could buy it in commercially manufactured feed, or if you were milling and mixing your own feed, you could purchase the antibiotics in a premix and mix it into the ration in the feed mill. I don't remember how much earlier it might have been available, but it was probably introduced more than 50 years ago, because it was commonly available and well-established when we were feeding cattle, and that was over 40 years ago.
FWIW, we didn't use it, because it seemed to be uneconomical considering the cost compared with the benefits that it provided.
Tex
Yes, 50 years is probably a conservative estimate. We had several hundred head of cattle in our on-farm feedlot back in the early 1970s, and antibiotics in feed was commonly available then. You could buy it in commercially manufactured feed, or if you were milling and mixing your own feed, you could purchase the antibiotics in a premix and mix it into the ration in the feed mill. I don't remember how much earlier it might have been available, but it was probably introduced more than 50 years ago, because it was commonly available and well-established when we were feeding cattle, and that was over 40 years ago.
FWIW, we didn't use it, because it seemed to be uneconomical considering the cost compared with the benefits that it provided.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Gabes,
Normally, the only cattle exposed to antibiotics in feed are those in a feedlot, destined for slaughter. Breeding livestock may be injected with antibiotics if they are sick, but normally they would never be fed antibiotics. Breeding cows are normally open range cattle, anyway, and they mostly eat grass. Dairy cows eat a high-energy ration when they are producing milk, but antibiotic use for them is closely monitored, and antibiotics cannot be routinely used in their feed. Anytime they must be treated with antibiotics, they have to be taken off the milking line for a couple of weeks (how long depends on the antibiotic used), until the drug clears their system, because it will show up in the milk if it hasn't cleared their body.
Breeding cows and their calves are in basically the same boat as human mothers and their offspring. They are treated as needed, but not using feed as a means of administration (except for vermicides — vermicides are commonly used in feed during worming procedures, because that greatly reduces the stress imposed on the animals. But vermicides are not antibiotics.)
At least that's how it's done in the U. S.
Tex
Normally, the only cattle exposed to antibiotics in feed are those in a feedlot, destined for slaughter. Breeding livestock may be injected with antibiotics if they are sick, but normally they would never be fed antibiotics. Breeding cows are normally open range cattle, anyway, and they mostly eat grass. Dairy cows eat a high-energy ration when they are producing milk, but antibiotic use for them is closely monitored, and antibiotics cannot be routinely used in their feed. Anytime they must be treated with antibiotics, they have to be taken off the milking line for a couple of weeks (how long depends on the antibiotic used), until the drug clears their system, because it will show up in the milk if it hasn't cleared their body.
Breeding cows and their calves are in basically the same boat as human mothers and their offspring. They are treated as needed, but not using feed as a means of administration (except for vermicides — vermicides are commonly used in feed during worming procedures, because that greatly reduces the stress imposed on the animals. But vermicides are not antibiotics.)
At least that's how it's done in the U. S.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.