Antibiotics contaminated chicken

Broiler chickens are given lots of antibiotics

28.10.2011

In Germany there are still tons of antibiotics used in the poultry industry, not to protect the animals from diseases, but to achieve a faster and thus more economical rearing. This is clearly in breach of applicable law, which clearly prohibits the use of antibiotics to promote growth in animals, but a large proportion of industrial poultry farmers do not seem to be bothered.

The radio station „NDR info“ reported on the nationwide unique study of the North Rhine-Westphalian State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection, which explicitly deals with the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry and has brought terrifying figures to light. The the „NDR“ Extracts show that in this country significantly more antibiotics are used in the chicken farms than previously thought. The poultry farmers apparently use the antibiotics for banned growth, said the radio station.

Frivolous antibiotic use promotes resistance
Overall, according to the North Rhine-Westphalian State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection, antimicrobial agents were used in 83 per cent of the fattening runs examined. Some of the chickens were given a regular antibiotic cocktail during the rearing process. For example, in the 962 broiler fattening runs surveyed from 182 farms in the first half of 2011, up to eight different antibiotics were used during the period from hatching to slaughtering, emphasized „NDR info“. Around half of the antibiotics administered were only added to the feed over a period of two days, which is expressly prohibited on account of the emergence of possible resistance in this country. Because not all pathogens that come in contact with the antibiotics are killed, they can become immune to the drugs. The result is antibiotic-resistant germs, which may also be dangerous to humans. Therefore, if required by disease, antibiotics must be administered at least for a period of five to six days as required by law. Actually, the drugs may only be prescribed by veterinarians in case of illness, a growth-promoting use is prohibited Europe-wide since 2006.

Prohibited growth promotion with antibiotics
Antibiotics that are used for less than the prescribed period are probably not intended to combat disease, but to promote growth and thus shortening the rearing period, the statement in the report of the radio station. The current study by the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection suggests that many companies violate the ban on growth promotion with antibiotics, reports „NDR info“. The use of antiobiotics is not limited to the large chicken fattening plants, but also smaller farms with less than 20,000 animals seem to regularly resort to the drugs. However, the detected anti-obesity residues in poultry were significantly lower in the small farms, which is also reflected in a longer rearing period. While the broilers of heavily fattened fattening fasts averaged 35 days to slaughter, the average fattening period for chickens with fewer antibiotic residues was 45 days. An official confirmation to the report of the „NDR info“ The Ministry of Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia is not yet available. The evaluation of the investigation is still ongoing, the ministry commented.

Substantial maladministration in the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry
The data of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection clarify „NDR info“ According to that only 17 percent of the evaluated fattening passages were not contaminated with antibiotics. However, this minority of farms show that an antibiotic-free mast is quite possible even under economic conditions, the radio station commented on the current figures. „NDR info“ had already pointed out in October 2010, the significant maladministration in the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry (chicken full of antibiotics). In the report at that time also confirmed the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture, that the breeders in the conventional chicken husbandry from year to year use more antibiotics. Heidemarie Helmsmüller, head of the Department of Consumer Protection and Animal Health of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture, told the radio station at that time that without the use of antibiotics the animals would often not survive until the end of their fattening period and for that reason the use of the drug in practice There would be.

Clear figures on the amount of total antibiotics given in Germany, however, are still not available, because the poultry industry fights - probably for a good reason - so far against the introduction of a collection of drug delivery by zip code regions. This would allow a relatively clear allocation of the antibiotic administration to the individual farms and thus a control of compliance with legal provisions. However, the federal ordinance, which will apply from 2012 onwards, which requires the registration of drug deliveries by postal code region in a separate file (DIMDI), makes an exception for the poultry industry. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture had filed data protection concerns.

Current investigation determined for the first time reliable figures
In order to finally gain valid figures on the use of antibiotics in the chicken farms, the North Rhine-Westphalian consumer protection minister Johannes Remmel (Alliance 90 / The Greens) had commissioned the current study. For a long time there is a suspicion that many poultry farmers violate the legal requirements and continue to use antibiotics to promote growth. However, the exemptions from the federal regulation granted to the poultry industry rule out control based on the DIMDI file. The of „NDR info“ cited recent study reveals alarming figures and raises in the opinion of the authors also the question of whether antibiotics contaminated animals should be exempted from slaughter in the future. Such an approach would at least result in companies having to wait until the antibiotics in the animal's organism are completely degraded, thus eliminating the time advantage of administering the medicines. However, it remains to be seen what consequences the policy will derive from the results of the current study and whether there is a rethinking among poultry breeders. Presumably, in the near future, the chickens will continue to be supplied with antibiotics for about two-thirds of their lifetime, according to animal welfare associations, veterinarians and consumer protection organizations. (Fp)

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Picture: Nico Lubaczowski