WHO calls for restricting antibiotics in agriculture

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates: 80% of antibiotics are used for animal fattening - for healthy animals, not for the sick. The WHO calls for drastically reducing this.

Stop routine delivery
The new WHO guidelines recommend that states use only antibiotics for animals that are of little medical importance to humans, and the food industry should stop the self-evident delivery of antibiotics.

80% of the antibiotics are used for the animal fattening. Due to the wasteful use, the resistance of the pathogens increases and this means deadly dangers for humans.

antibiotic Resistance
Constant antibiotics led to resistance, and these would make it difficult to treat sick people. Moreover, a lack of effective antibiotics is like the onset of a deadly disease.

The fewer antibiotics, the more effective
The absence of antibiotics, however, reduce the resistance of the pathogens. Instead of medication, pet owners should focus on better hygiene.

In Germany, in comparison, little antibiotics
In Germany, in stalls, compared to other countries, little antibiotics are used, and since 2011, the quantities delivered to veterinarians have halved. Animals would be tested for disease before getting antibiotics.

Antibiotics use continues to decline
In Germany the use of antibiotics is decreasing continuously. For medicines that are also important for people, the use within a year even went back by 20%. In addition, it has long been prohibited in Germany to use antibiotics to promote performance.

Resistance increases
The demand of the WHO has a reason: Globally, antibiotics help less and less today. In Europe, about 25,000 people die every year because antibiotics are no longer able to protect against specific diseases. Scientists were that increasing resistance to antibiotics poses the greatest threat to human health.

Use antibiotics specifically
For some biologists and doctors, WHO recommendations do not go far enough. They demand globally that in agriculture the same must apply as in human medicine. Antibiotics should only be used if there is a need, ie to contain diseases.

Teaching Colistin
The antibiotic colistin was first used in animal breeding, it was used to promote the growth of chickens and pigs. When human medicine used it in humans, already resistant pathogens had formed.

Cheap production aid
Scientist Lance Price says, "Multidrug-resistant super-pathogens are on the rise because we're not stopping wasting valuable medicine through excessive use in human medicine and as a cheap production aid in agricultural livestock farming." (Dr. Utz Anhalt)