A University of Manitoba food safety scientist says there is no difference in the safety of meat and poultry raised using antibiotic-free protocols or convention practices.
The use of antibiotics in animal agriculture has come under increasing public scrutiny, spawning a number of raised without antibiotic programs.
Canadians have until September 14 to comment on Proposed Changes to Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations Related to Antimicrobial Resistance.
Dr. Rick Holley, a Professor Emeritus with the University of Manitoba, says there is no difference in the safety of meat and poultry raised using antibiotic free protocols or convention practices.
The concern, and that because the meat made from animals that have been treated with antibiotics, during their growth don’t contain residual antibiotics notwithstanding any of the objections that proponents of prevention of antibiotic use may make.
My experience indicates to me that this is not the issue here. The real issue is that the more frequently you use antibiotics, whether it’s in human clinical medicine or in animal agriculture, you are going to provide the opportunity for bacteria to do nasty things to animal health and human health, may become more predominant.
We know, that as time progresses, we are seeing more and more organisms that have the capacity to be resistant to antibiotics and so it is prudent to reduce antibiotic use in human clinical medicine and also in animal agriculture.
~ Dr. Rick Holley, University of Manitoba
Dr. Holley acknowledges the value of the use of antibiotics in both human medicine and animal agriculture has been substantial.
