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Antibiotic Use in Poultry




Since their discovery, antibiotics have been a powerful tool with which to treat illness in humans, livestock, and poultry. But now there is growing concern that their efficacy is diminishing, due in part to their misuse in animal agriculture.
The vast majority of chickens raised for meat (known as broilers) are confined in intensive conditions that compromise their health and well being. Low-level (subtherapeutic) dosages of antibiotics are routinely fed to these birds to speed their growth and compensate for the unsanitary, crowded, and stressful conditions in which they are kept.

Unsanitary, Crowded Conditions

Broiler chickens spend their entire lives standing, foraging, or sitting in manure-contaminated litter, which covers the floors to absorb waste. The litter is usually not cleaned during the birds' lifespan, and it is common for six to eight flocks to be raised on the same "built-up" litter. As the litter becomes increasingly unsanitary, conditions necessitate the use of antibiotics to combat the environmental pathogens to which the birds are exposed.

Broilers are commonly confined in flocks numbering in the tens of thousands. It has been suggested that new factory farm facilities may house 50,000–60,000 broiler birds. As many birds as possible are kept in these buildings to maximize the overall production of each barn. But crowding facilitates the spread of disease, and the practice shows no signs of abating despite research showing that more floor space eliminates the need for antibiotics.

What's more, broiler chickens are selected, dosed with antibiotics and intensively fed for rapid growth and large breast muscle, so that they essentially outgrow their legs, heart and other support systems. Rapid growth is a major source of physical stress, which manifests itself in a number of infirmities, such as leg problems and ascites.

Leg problems are painful and debilitating. A United Kingdom study indicates that 25% of broilers suffer from leg weakness of such severity that it compromises their welfare. John Webster, professor of animal husbandry at the University of Bristol, notes that because of the sheer number of birds involved and the potentially painful nature of the leg problems, this issue is "in both magnitude and severity, the single most severe systematic example of man's inhumanity to another sentient animal."

Broilers are also at risk of developing ascites, an accumulation of fluid in the bird's abdomen due to an exceedingly fast growth rate and high oxygen demand. It is well known among many farmers and researchers that slowing the growth of broilers can prevent this problem. Yet one researcher remarked, "It may not be economical to slow down the growth rate of 100% of a flock, merely to treat 3% of the birds that may become afflicted." Three percent of the 8.39 billion broilers raised for meat in 2001 is approximately 251 million broilers.

Finally, the stresses that broiler chickens endure have a negative impact on their immune system. Research suggests that selection for high growth rate also results in reduced immune function. Together, these facts illustrate why broiler producers have become so dependent on antibiotic use.

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture results in germs that don't respond to antibiotic treatment. People become infected with these resistant bacteria when they eat contaminated or undercooked chicken. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an estimated 60% or more of raw poultry carries disease-causing bacteria. Indeed, poultry is considered to be the food most often contaminated with disease-causing organisms.

In October 2002, Pilgrim's Pride recalled 27.4 million pounds of chicken and turkey meat, the largest meat recall in U.S. history. The meat was suspected of being contaminated with listeria, which has been implicated in at least seven recent deaths and 46 illnesses in the northeast United States. And more than 11,000 people were infected with fluoroquinolone-resistant campylobacter from eating chicken in 1999—an increase from an estimated 8,000 cases in 1998. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are considered one of the most valuable drug classes available to treat human infections.

The FDA has stated that there is "ample scientific data linking antimicrobial food-borne resistant infections in humans to the use of these antimicrobials in livestock and poultry." The FDA is developing guidelines that will regulate antibiotics used by agriculture in an attempt to ensure that the usefulness of human medicines is not lost.