The rundown on antibiotics and livestock… If you have ever seen a doctor for a cold or any other bacterial infection, it is almost certain you were prescribed a form of antibiotics to fight off the sickness. For this, antibiotics are miraculous, and one couldn’t begin to count the lives they have saved and the amount of suffering relieved. On the downside, for several decades, humans have been unscrupulously pumping healthy livestock full of antibiotics starting from their birth to stimulate growth and production. The meat-production industry doesn’t doubt the economic benefits of using antibiotics; serving as a fix-all for any ailment and for boosting meat output. Also, because the market sets most meat prices, heavy antibiotic use translates to consumers paying the least possible price.
Why Antibiotics in Livestock Are Harmful
The problem is that farmers are non-therapeutically giving antibiotics to livestock, an action known as “concentrated animal feeding operations,” abbreviated CAFOs. These operations have created drug resistant bacteria at an alarming rate. This highly unnatural procedure has resulted in drug resistance microorganisms, more commonly known as super-bugs, killing about 70,000 Americans per year.1
Super-bugs, like any other living organism, are adept at genetic adaptation for the survival of the species. In keeping with Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, the fittest of the bacteria, the ones not killed by the antibiotic, will survive and reproduce, bequeathing their offspring portions of their DNA and a greatly increased chance for a resistance to the antibiotic.
Affects of Antibiotics in Livestock
A common super-bug stemming from overuse of antibiotics in livestock, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,) has plagued workers and livestock across the world for decades. Within the last few years, its harmful effects are being seen with exponentially increased frequency. MRSA doesn’t only sicken the livestock, it also spreads to humans and causes life-threatening infections because it is very resistant to antibiotics. For those who don’t know, MRSA is a group of bacteria that live on the surface of people’s skin, like an open sore, and inside the nose.2
A study conducted by the University of Iowa at several Midwestern American farms found a new strain of MRSA in 64% of workers and 70% of hogs on farms where antibiotics were used. At antibiotic-free farms, no MRSA was found.3 The fear is that someday there will be an organism that is resistant to every treatment option humans possess. The more that a bacteria is exposed to antibiotics, the more likely they are to develop resistance. Despite the United States’ stringent food control measures, it is unknown how widespread MRSA is in the nation’s meat supply, because only a small fraction is tested for MRSA. Even pork lobbyists admit that they are opposed to any attempt to test all livestock for MRSA, saying it is “unnecessary to protect public health.”4
Action On Antibiotics
There are two ways to deal with antibiotic abuse in livestock. First, from the bottom up, meaning that people must protest the consumption of tainted animal products, by either not buying them or buying organic products. The more likely alternative is to start from the top down, or to make a government law prohibiting animal products containing antibiotics. In 2007, the late Senator Edward Kennedy proposed legislation discouraging the overuse of the antibiotics responsible for antibiotic resistance. Senator Kennedy’s bill stated:
It seems scarcely believable that these precious medications could be fed by the ton to chickens and pigs… These precious drugs aren’t even used to treat sick animals. They are used to fatten pigs and speed the growth of chickens. The result of this rampant overuse is clear: meat contaminated with drug-resistant bacteria sits on supermarket shelves all over America.5
Sadly, the bill gained no traction that year. It seems that the meat-producing industry is not willing to sacrifice the money they save for the health of America, and the lives of the animals being pumped with drugs. 2010 is a better year in the fight to stop antibiotic use in livestock. Our current administration and Congress support Kennedy’s bill, along with 300 noteworthy organizations. Some of these organizations include the American Medical Association and American Public Health Association.6 With this kind of support, it looks like the bill has a chance of passing.
The Issue Abroad
Australia and various countries in Europe understand how destructive antibiotics are to our health. In Denmark, antibiotic use is down 51 percent and bacteria and antibiotic resistant bacteria are also down, says the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. They also have had no increase in the cost of meat. Additionally, Sweden, Norway, and The Netherlands have also reported antibiotic resistance reductions.7 The United States could learn a lot from the farming policies set forth in these countries. Knowing that Denmark did not face a drop in meat costs could make the U.S. more comfortable letting go of antibiotics.
All in all, antibiotic abuse in livestock is a major health issue that needs to be resolved before it is too late. As for now, environmentalists like myself will have to continue to buy organic animal products, or forgo meat products altogether, while still hoping the government takes strong action on the issue.
