The Porkopalypse: Half of China's Antibiotics Given to Livestock

Over prescription of antibiotics is a common practice in China, with patients routinely given drugs they don't need when they are suffering from viral infections.  Disturbingly, half the antibiotics in China aren't given to people, but they're crammed down the gullets of the nations livestock.

Unsurprisingly, a research team led by American and Chinese scientists found "diverse and abundant antibiotic resistance genes in Chinese swine farms.".  The numbers in China are a little alarming, but it's worth pointing out, as the graph below shows, that Chinese use of antibiotics in farming is nowhere near the levels that the US uses them. Also, pigs in the US routinely test positive for a number of antibiotic resistant pathogens.

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="630"] Cattle to human use of antibiotics in the USA[/caption]

Chinese poultry and pork firms have been steadily increasing production, investing in US companies in order to bring US-style food processing techniques to China.

Chinese pork farming is changing rapidly. As recently as 2001, an analysis by the Dutch bank Rabobank found about three-quarters of China's hogs came from small backyard operations. By 2010, that figure had fallen by half—and the percentage of its hog supply emerging from factory-like facilities tripled, reaching 15 percent.

With chicken processor Tyson aiming to process 3 million chickens a week by 2014, they are capitalizing on the preference of Chinese customers preference for foreign food products, believing them to be safer than those produced by Chinese companies.  Pork is the Chinese meat of choice, and keeping up with demand, as well as keeping prices down can only be achieved by the use of antibiotics to keep hogs healthy enough to be slaughtered.

Unfortunately, the factories are expanding production far too quickly, and keeping animals in cramped conditions has led to massive amounts of stocks being left to rot.  With attempts to keep pork prices down simply by producing more has backfired spectacularly on the Chinese companies that have little experience in running a proper hog processing factory.  China consumes six times more pork than the US, but health and safety regulations are routinely violated by Chinese food producers.  Central government is far more worried about the availability of pork than any other foodstuff, misguided attempts to simply satisfy demand are probably doing more harm than good when it comes to keeping the Chinese fat and happy.

 

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• Over-Drugging Chinese Livestock Causes Dangerous Antibiotic Resistance


• China's addiction to antibiotics has spilled over to livestock


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