Fattening chickens get antibiotics every four days

Antibiotics in factory farming can cause drug resistance

07/10/2013

Today, antibiotics are just as much a part of factory farming as overcrowded fattening systems and animals tortured to death. Above all, fattening chickens are often given antibiotics, according to a study. Scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and the University of Leipzig have examined the use of antibiotics in livestock farming and came to frightening results.

On average, fattening chickens receive antibiotics on ten of 39 days of life
As part of the project „VetCAb "(Veterinary Consumption of Antibiotics), the researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and the University of Leipzig in collaboration with the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the antibiotic consumption from over 2000 livestock housing for the year 2011 and evaluated, they examined which antibiotics which Among the animals were fattening chickens, pigs and cattle The analysis showed that the use of antibiotics fluctuates strongly between the species, according to which fattening chickens receive antibiotics on average over ten of their 39 days of life such drugs are administered on four days of the 115-day average fattening, with approximately one in three animals receiving a three-day antibiotic treatment each year.

The reason for the massive use of antibiotics in fattening chickens could be explained by the way the animals are kept, says Professor Dr. med. Lothar Kreienbrock from the Institute of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. Because a classic poultry farm has several thousand animals. If an animal became ill, all the others could be infected in a short time. Neither in pig fattening nor in cattle breeding would so many animals be kept together. Accordingly, the risk of infection is lower, explains the expert.

„The average values ​​determined in VetCAb are first orientation values ​​for the antibiotic treatment of livestock in Germany and must be further evaluated in detail, "report Kreienbrock and his colleague Professor Dr. Walther Honscha of the Institute of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Toxicology of the University of Leipzig. „In the future, more data will have to be collected in order to assess whether this use is constant or whether trends are developing to a lesser extent, "the researchers added.

Antibiotics in mass animal husbandry can also harm humans
„Valid data on antibiotic use and resistance dissemination are of particular importance for risk assessment“, explains Professor dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel, President of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. „Through targeted measures, the use of antibiotics must then be limited to what is absolutely necessary for therapy. "

In factory farming antibiotics are used not only for medical reasons but rather to increase growth, so that the fattening time of the animals is shortened. However, such use of medicines has been banned since 2006 across the EU. If pathogens constantly come into contact with antibiotics, resistance can easily develop by administering the drugs only for a short time and thus not killing all the pathogens. As a result, multidrug-resistant bacteria develop, which humans absorb together with traces of antibiotics when consuming the contaminated meat. In the worst case, no antibiotic will be effective in a serious condition.

On 26 June 2013, the Conciliation Committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat therefore passed an amendment to the German Medicines Act (AMG). „With the amendment to the Medicines Act, we can significantly reduce the amount of antibiotics used in animal husbandry within a few years. The responsible supervisory authorities of the federal states should receive significantly more control powers. The exchange between the authorities will be improved and the Länder will be able to use a nationwide database in the future. This creates transparency about the use of antibiotics in fattening farms“, said Federal Minister Ilse Aigner. It remains to be seen whether the change in law will actually bring about a significant reduction in antibiotic use. For as long as meat is offered at the dumping price, it is highly unlikely that appropriate housing conditions, which are also associated with higher costs, prevail. (Ag)