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Kaitlyn Edwards

Instructor Nkenna Onwuzuruoha

English 1010

July 26, 2017

Antibiotic Resistance from Consuming Animals

We are starting to see more and more talk about natural or antibiotic free meat. But

why is this becoming such a big deal to consumers? There are three sides to this argument. One

side states that the antibiotics given to animals is being passed to humans through

consumption and is making us resistant to antibiotics when we need them. The other side

states that the animals need the antibiotics to survive and antibiotic resistance happens to

humans whether they eat animals pumped with the antibiotics or not. Then lastly is the

farmers side of why they give animals so many antibiotics. As of now we are mainly seeing this

debate about chicken as they consume the greatest amount of antibiotics.

Kwame Jomo Sundaram and Tan Zhai Gen wrote an article explaining the dangers of

feeding the animals we consume so many antibiotics. The article states that poultry and

aquaculture farmers are using four times the amount recommended by the USDA. Also, eighty

percent of the antibiotics sold in the USA are all used on animals. When animals are given so

many antibiotics the bacteria they have becomes resistant to the medication. Then when

humans consume that animal the antibiotic resistant bacteria are being passed to us. These

same bacteria are also being seen in our aquaculture from antibiotics being put in ponds to

prevent aquatic diseases.

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About 700,000 people yearly were reported by the British government to have died

from antibiotic resistance worldwide. If nothing changes this number could rise to ten million

deaths yearly within the next thirty years. Not all these people became antibiotic resistant

from the animals they consumed but it contributes to the number.

In another article by Aaron E. Carroll antibiotic resistance is happening but not only

because of the animals we eat. He states that since humans started using antibiotics in 1939

bacteria have found a way to become resistant to them. Many people these days also overuse

antibiotics to fight things such as colds which are caused by viruses and not bacteria. Because

only bacteria can be treated by antibiotics we are misusing these medications and causing

resistance to them. We are also failing to catch up to the resistance of the antibiotics available.

Only thirteen new antibiotics have been approved by the FDA since 2000. With so many people

becoming resistant to the antibiotics available a new class of drugs needs to be created to kill

these bacteria that are causing deaths.

Lastly, we hear from the farmers themselves. In an article by Stephanie Strom she talks

to Sanderson Farms, which is the third biggest poultry producer here in the US. Sanderson

Farms states that other companies are doing a marketing gimmick by trying to charge higher

prices for their meat. "We have decided we're not going to sacrifice our environmental goals,

our animal welfare goals or our food safety goals for marketing purposes, states Mike Cockrell

from Sanderson. He also informs us that they would need more housing, corn, water, and

electricity due to a much higher mortality rate if they removed antibiotics. Sanderson isnt the

only company who refuses to stop the use of antibiotics. Perdue will continue to use them but

only as needed and many other companies will follow until more research on the topic is done.
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There are still many consumers who refuse to spend a fortune on antibiotic free meat and

many who dont even know about the dangers of the resistance which may occur. Sanderson

Farms will continue to sell to these consumers so that they can avoid losing so many chickens,

money, and time to not using antibiotics.

After my research, I have concluded that all sides make a good argument. Humans will

become resistant to any new drug put on the market because of how bacteria grow and

change. However, this doesnt mean that we need to speed up the process by pumping our

animals full of antibiotics. I believe that farmers still need to become antibiotic free when

raising animals for human consumption. Many of the main farmers who sell to our local

supermarkets and fast food chains have already started and the smaller farmers need to follow

in their footsteps. Even though not giving the animals, we eat antibiotics will cut back on the

resistance we are seeing it will not solve the problem we are facing. We also need to fund more

money for organizations to research new drugs. If we are keeping up with the resistance to

antibiotics then we will not see as many deaths each year due to this resistance.

Works Cited
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Carroll, Aaron E. "Antibiotic Resistance is Worrisome, but Not Hopeless." New York Times, 08

Mar, 2016, pp. A.3, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks-sirs-com.libprox1.slcc.edu.

Sundaram, Kwame J., and Zhai G. Tan. "Catastrophic Antibiotic Threat from Food." Inter Press

Service, 04 Apr, 2017, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks-sirs-com.libprox1.slcc.edu.

Strom, Stephanie. "Major Poultry Producer Defends its use of Antibiotics." New York Times, 02

Aug, 2016, pp. B.2, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks-sirs-com.libprox1.slcc.edu.