The talk has been about reducing antibiotic use on farms,
but the walk tells a much different tale.
Statistics released by the United States Food and Drug
Administration indicate antibiotic sales to farms increased by 16 per cent
between 2009 and 2012.
The only good news is that the list of types of antibiotics
used on farms declined slightly.
Over-the-counter sales, which usually means antibiotics
added to feed, remained steady, so that obviously means veterinary prescription
sales increased.
That might be reflecting public relations moves to declare
that antibiotics are no longer being used as growth promotants; the same
antibiotics could, however, be used in the same quantities under veterinary
prescription for “disease prevention”.
At least the FDA tracks antibiotic sales to keep track of
trends and use. I don’t think that’s the case in Canada where, it seems, public
ignorance is the preferred policy.
