The Use of Antibiotics and Hormones in Animal Feed
Antibiotics are chemicals produced by living organisms that are used
to kill or inhibit the growth of other infectious micro-organisms.
Most antibiotics prevent the growth of microorganisms, which they act
on instead of completely killing them. Antibiotics are extra cellular
products meaning that they can be extracted for use; Penicillin is an
example of this as it comes from the fungus Penicillium notatum1.
Hormones are chemicals that transfer information and instructions
between cells in animals and plants. They regulate growth and
development, controlling the function of various tissues. Like
antibiotics, hormones can be produced and placed in animal feed, for
example Bovine Somatotropin, which is given to cows to increases milk
production.2
The use of hormones and antibiotics in animal feed has been a
controversial topic for many years. There are obvious advantages and
disadvantages with the use of such products. Farmers see hormones and
antibiotics as a major advantage as the increase their profits and
gain the maximum out of their livestock. However, health concerned
organizations want to ban the use of these products due to the
increasing fears that they can cause harm to the consumers.
For over 50 years, antibiotics have been added to the food of animals
such as poultry, cattle and pigs. The main purpose for doing so is to
lower the risk of disease in animals. Farm animals are housed together
in overcrowded areas, which are very dirty. The hygiene level can get
to such a poor state that they are often in contact with their own
excreta as well as excreta of the other animals they are housed with
and because of tight single air space they share, the likelihood of
catching diseases from one another is further increased and very often
a whole heard can be infected at one time. If these problems could be
eradicated it could save a lot of time and money for the farmers. The
use of antibiotics and hormones before the livestock actually catches
Makousky, David Tangley, Laura Loeb, Penny Holstein, William J. Thorton, Jeannye, "Hay feed might stop infections from meat." U.S. News & World Report 125.11(1998): middlesearchplus. EBSCO.web.27.Oct.2011
Secondly, to continue his discussion, he also describes the process in how chemical’s are used in the food we consume. Many of the foods we buy at the supermarket contain a high amount of preservatives, antibiotics, GMO’s, chemicals and other different verity types of lab drugs. He explains how in today’s society it’s common to use these lab-made drugs in our food to span the life of it, then if the drug wasn’t used. For instance, in the book the author Michael Pollan states, “Most of the antibiotics sold in America today end up in animal feed… public health advocates don’t object to treating sick animals with antibiotics; they just don’t want to see the drug lose their effectiveness because factory farms are feeding them to healthy animals to promote growth” (78-79). This passage states that the life saving drug that is originally used to treat any kind
A growing issue in the world today is the use of antibiotics and growth hormones in animal production industry. However, for over sixty years Americans have been exposed to hormones on a regular basic when they consume beef. (Organic Consumer Association) On average eighty percent of all feedlot cattle are given hormones to help them grow at an increased rate. (Communication Foundation) “In 1988 the European Union banned the use of all hormone growth promoters.” (Organic Consumer Association)
Factory farming began in the 1920s soon after the discovery of vitamins A and D. Shirley Leung said, when these vitamins are added to feed, animals no longer require exercise and sunlight for growth (B2). This allowed large numbers of animals to be raised indoors year-round. The greatest problem that was faced in raising these animals indoors was the spread of disease, which was fought against in the 1940s with the development of antibiotics. Farmers found they could increase productivity and reduce the operating costs by using machines and assembly-line techniques. Unfortunately, this trend of mass production has resulted in incredible pain and suffering for the animals. Animals today raised on factory farms have had their genes manipulated and pumped full of antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals to encourage high productivity. In the fast food industry, animals are not considered animals at all; “they are food producing machines” (BBC). They are confined to small cages with metal bars, ammonia-filled air and artificial lighting or no lighting at all. They are subjected to horrible mutilations: beak searing, tail docking, ear cutting and castration. The worst thing is that ...
There are solutions though to this problem. Such as spay/neuter programs, more shelters, and euthanization. There are better ways to prevent more animal overpopulation though like contracts that breeders have to sign. We need to put a stop to the issue of animal overpopulation. Would you want animals dying because there aren’t enough homes and you spending your tax dollars for animal killing chemicals?
Imagine sinking your teeth into a t-bone steak that has come from a steer that was treated with hormones, or enjoying a glass of rBGH treated milk. The steak and milk may not taste any different from the same untreated products, but the hormones they contain could both, directly and indirectly, have an impact on your health. The hormones that farmers in the U.S. administer to the cattle are dangerous and have negative effects on the people and the environment. Although America admits hormone use in cattle, the fact that Europe has banned hormone use raises many questions about the possible health risks these hormones may have on consumers.
Factory farming is a necessary component of our modern food production and supply system. In 2005, the U.S. produced 45.7 billion pounds of red meat. It efficiently produces and distributes huge quantities of food to feed the growing population of America. But the overfeeding of antibiotics in the U.S. meat industry has gotten to the extreme and it calls for a drastic change in order to prevent a potential public health crises.
Antibiotics basically refer to chemical substances that can inhibit and destroy the growth of microorganisms (Gottileb,1976; Katz and Demain,1977). Antibiotic term was first used in 1942 by Selman Waksman to describe any substance produced by a microorganism which interfere with the growth of other microorganism (SA Waksman, 1947). Each antibiotic is produced by a relatively limited number of species and is inherited from specific set of genes. These are the products of secondary metabolism which can be produced commercially by microbial fermentation after active growth has declined. These compounds are generally synthesized in stationary phase especially idiophase (unbalanced growth phase) so these are sometimes called as idiolites(walker, 1974). Their formation is highly influenced not only by the growth conditions but also by the composition of the culture medium.
The veterinary field is a very controversial topic for those with strong morals and ethics. Ethics stand in the way of some client’s requests which may lead to a loss of clients and money but maintains ones moral standing. Veterinarians are frequently faced with ethical dilemmas. Consideration of animal welfare and ethical issues is an essential component of good clinical practice in veterinary medicine and surgery. While using the ethical frameworks of the veterinary principles may not change the actual decisions made by these doctors, an understanding of ethical issues is important for doctor-client communication and maintaining a positive look to the public.
Antibiotics have been vital tools in the fight against bacterial infections, however their effectiveness has waned in recent times due to the advent of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. According to a review by P, the uses of antibiotics, as well as influences from the environment have allowed such bacterial strains to respond to changes in their environment rapidly, and so develop resistance. This acquired ability can have serious and broad implications in the medical field, evident in a study by O into the resistance of intestinal Staphylococcus aureus.
The first reason why factory farming should be banned is that it can cause health issues for people who eat them. According to Gale (2013), “[a]ntibiotics have been used by industrial animal producers for many years [] to prevent animals housed … from getting sick and to help them grow more quickly.” The owner of these companies want to decrease loss by giving animals antibiotics to prevent them from dying. These animals can harm the health of the human eating them. “People can become infected with antibiotic bacteria from a variety of resources… [such as] meat or other foods … if not properly cooked [and] workers who have contact with animals at factory farms…” (Gale, 2013). The fact that there are chances for people to get sick from their most desired foods shows how bad these factory farming can be. Health will be a great issue if people do not take action soon. Not only will factory farming harm human health, but it will also harm the environment.
“By concentrating large numbers of animals together, factory farms are terrific incubators for disease. The stress of factory farm conditions weakens animals' immune systems; ammonia from accumulated waste burns lungs and makes them more susceptible to infection; the lack of sunlight and fresh air--as well as the genetic uniformity of industrial farm animal populations--facilitates the spread of pathogens." (Sayre) To summarize this section, it states that factory farms are creating diseases and because of this, the stress of the factory farms condition weakens the animal's immune systems. The animals that are caged up in these factory farms lack sunlight and fresh air. This is also the cause of pathogens spreading. Animals in these factory farms are crowded into small places with barely any room to even turn around. They are kept in there and fed hormones to grow their bodies until they become an unnatural size. This happens so that the animals can produce more meat. This is dangerous for them because the farmers are taking away the animals freedom. Factory farms conditions weaken the animals immune systems and this is putting the animals at risk for an infection. With the lack of sunlight and fresh air, the animals aren’t getting enough nutrition into them to fit off disease. The final piece of text evidence supports that caging animals is not good for them. Hui states, “In the wake of such criticisms, many companies have turned to experts like Dr. Grandin to help them understand animal welfare better: what motivates animals; what behaviours come naturally to them; and what causes them fear, stress or pain." (Hui) As explained in this quote, there are many criticisms to people caging animals and treating them inhumane. However, several companies left are still willing to help others understand animal welfare. In addition, he analyzes what behaviours come naturally to them along with what causes
Meat cultivation uses more land, water and resources to house, transport, and slaughter animals and their grain and food than it would cost to fund in vitro meat studies. In April 2008 the In Vitro Consortium first met at the Norwegian Food Research Institute. The consortium is “an international alliance of environmentally concerned scientists striving to facilitate the establishment of a large scale process industry for the production of muscle tissue for human consumption through concerted R&D efforts and attraction of funding fuels to these efforts. ”Meat in both its production and its consumption has a number of destructive effects on not only the environment and humans but also live stock. Some of these effects are antibiotic resistant bacteria due to the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, meat-borne pathogens (e. coli), and diseases associated with diets rich in animal fats (diabetes).
Pro: Antibiotics use in meat animals can help the animals grow larger quicker or provide better health to the animals
It is estimated that over one-half of the antibiotics in the U.S. are used in food animal production. The overuse of antimicrobials in food animal production is an under-appreciated problem. In both human and veterinary medicine, the risk of developing resistance rises each time bacteria are exposed to antimicrobials. Resistance opens the door to treatment failure for even the most common pathogens and leads to an increasing number of infections. The mounting evidence of the relationship between antimicrobial use in animal husbandry and the increase in bacterial resistance in humans has prompted several reviews of agricultural practices by scientific authorities in a number of countries, including the US.