Mitigating antibiotic use in the livestock industry


As the food animal industry moves away from the prolific use of antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention, it is imperative that we embrace alternative approaches to maintain a safe supply of food for consumers and sustain high standards of animal health and welfare.


BY SAMANEH AZARPAJOUH, INDEPENDENT CORRESPONDENT I


n response to increased demands for animal protein and by-products, there has been a significant rise in antibiotics use in the livestock industry. Antibiotics are extensively used to prevent, control, and treat disease in


animals. In addition, in-feed supplementation with antibiotics became a common practice for growth promotion and disease prevention in food animals. The administration of antibiotics at low doses for extended duration has been linked to the global health crisis of antibiotic resistance. As a


result, the pathogenic-resistant organisms propagated in food animals could be widely disseminated in fresh meat products and the commensal bacteria found in fresh meat products may serve as reservoirs for resistant genes that could potentially be transferred to pathogenic organisms in humans. Therefore, a wide variety of methods has been used by researchers in various disciplines to approach this problem. Multiple international jurisdictions have responded by restricting antibiotics use for these purposes and by requiring a veterinary prescription to use these drugs in food animals.


▶ ANTIBIOTIC REDUCTION | DECEMBER 2021 93


Antibiotic resistance in food animals have direct and indirect effects on human health.


PHOTO: MAX PIXEL


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