RESULTS OF ANTIBIOTIC ABUSE ON ANIMAL FARMS

Antibiotic resistance and 'superbugs' pose a threat to both human and non-human animals for which intensive farming is largely to blame. A new study published in the second half of 2022 shed new light on the link between antibiotic-resistant bacteria, superbugs, and meat from animal farms, notably on factory farms. It indicated that the UK's rivers and streams were "awash with superbugs." Waterways near factory farms and "high welfare" outdoor farms were discovered to be contaminated with antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Both of these can have major health consequences for people. According to the analysis, waste runoff from intensive dairy farms was also spreading the bacterium.

“Our food system is broken. It is in part causing our climate to change. And now, we are on the edge of, yet another, global human health crisis. Except this is not one we will be able to vaccinate our way out of,” reads the report, published by World Animal Protection. The organization’s farming campaigners manager, Lindsay Duncan, echoed this in a statement. They said: “The World Health Organization has estimated that antibiotic resistance will be the leading cause of death globally by 2050 with a total economic cost of £66 trillion – this is a human health crisis.”

What are ‘superbugs’? Are they dangerous?

Superbugs are strains of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are resistant to the most widely used antibiotics. This can lead to more severe cases of potentially preventable illnesses and infections that cannot be treated with medication. Examples include drug-resistant salmonella, campylobacter, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea. If antibiotics fail, chest infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs), cuts, insect bites, and even small scratches can develop into sepsis (blood poisoning). This can be fatal if not treated quickly. In the UK, five people die from sepsis every hour, and the number is rising.

Global Emergency

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says antimicrobial resistance is an “urgent global public health threat.” It estimates that in the US alone, more than 2.8 million drug-resistant infections occur every year. Many cases are fatal. As such, the CDC “dedicated” its 2019 report on the issue to “the 48,700 families (in the US) who lose a loved one each year to antibiotic resistance.” Globally, it’s predicted that at least 700,000 people die every year from superbug infections. There is potential for this to rise to 10 million by 2050, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in 2019. Meanwhile, antimicrobial resistance could force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty by the end of this decade. Drug-resistant infections also impact companion animals, along with captive animals in zoos and those farmed for food. This is worsened by the fact that resistant germs can rapidly spread via soil, water, waste, and food supply chains.

What are antibiotics?

Antibiotics are a type of medication used to treat bacterial infections. They either destroy bacteria or prevent their growth and reproduction. Antibiotics are created in labs or derived from natural compounds generated by microbes (such as fungi or other bacteria). In the 1940s, antibiotics were available to the general public. Giving birth and having surgery were once significantly more perilous. Furthermore, sexually transmitted illnesses such as syphilis and gonorrhea may result in mortality.

What causes antibiotic resistance?

In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1945, Alexander Fleming, who developed penicillin, widely regarded as the world's first extensively successful antibiotic, emphasized the "dangers" of antibiotic misuse, a warning that proved true. Since then, antibiotics overuse and abuse in medical settings have increased resistant microorganisms. The overuse of such drugs in animal agriculture has compounded the problem. Antibiotics were discovered to increase growth when offered to animals at low doses soon after their introduction. As a result, antibiotics were widely used on agricultural animals raised for meat and other commodities.

The technique was outlawed in the European Union in 2006, and similar limitations apply in the United States. Farmers, however, may still get large quantities of drugs due to legal loopholes. Antibiotics are currently offered to animals to prevent illness and require a veterinarian prescription. However, industrial farms, by definition, are breeding grounds for disease. Large quantities of animals housed near each other, often in unsanitary conditions, means illnesses can quickly spread. They can infect an entire group and potentially be transmissible to humans. To prevent this, farmers feed antibiotics to their animals to keep them healthy enough to reach slaughter age – their boosted growth rate is a profitable side effect.

What percent of antibiotics are given to animals?

Antibiotic use in livestock now outweighs human consumption in many countries. In the US, for example, some 80 percent of all antibiotics are used as growth supplements and to control infection in non-human animals. In the UK, in 2017, 36 percent of antibiotics were sold for use in non-human animals, while 64 percent were for human use. A lower proportion than in many other countries, but still a considerable amount (226 tons in 2018). In Canada, it is estimated that around 78 percent of the medically important antibiotics distributed are for use in non-human animals. According to data from 31 European countries, in 2019, approximately 90.9 percent of the total weight of antimicrobial agents sold for veterinary use was intended for animals raised for human consumption. Further, in India, antibiotic use in animals is projected to increase by 82 percent by 2030. That’s according to a study published in the journal Science in 2015, which also projected an 82 percent increase in global antibiotic consumption in food animal production by 2030. 

How do people catch superbugs from food?

When animals are killed for food, resistant microbes in their guts can contaminate the meat, milk, or eggs produced. Eating or touching contaminated food or drink goods can make people unwell. The overuse of antibiotics in the animal husbandry business has ramifications in other industries as well. According to the CDC's 2019 study, when "contaminated" animal feces is utilized as farm fertilizer, fruits and vegetables might get polluted. Animal rearing has been regularly linked to the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. The CDC, for example, blames resistant salmonella strains on the production and consumption of chicken, hog, turkey, and cattle.

Making our food system safer

According to Humane Being, a nonprofit that campaigns for a future free from animal exploitation, to prevent antibiotic resistance and stem the risk of future pandemics, we must end intensive factory farming. Humane Being took the UK government to court in 2022, accusing it of concealing the public health risks of animal farming. The first-of-its-kind judicial appeal argues that, despite recognizing the threat, the UK government had failed to take necessary preventative measures. This involves educating the public on the problems associated with animal husbandry, such as antibiotic resistance, environmental harm, and increased pandemic risk. Dr. Alice Brough is a pig veterinarian who was a co-claimant in the case. She said at the time: “Every part of this practice is a ticking time bomb for our species.” Humane Being is joined by a slew of other organizations championing the end of animal agriculture. In its place, they want to see plant-based food systems ushered in. The movement has continued to pick up pace in recent years, with the alternative protein sectors seeing increased sales while animal meat and milk figures drop.