Iowa Ranchers May Lead The US In Feeding Antibiotics To Livestock - DMR

[hatrack]

Washington, D.C. - "Iowa leads the nation in feeding medically important antibiotics to livestock, an environmental group says.

A report released Wednesday by Environmental Defense estimates Iowa farmers annually feed their hogs and other livestock 2.2 million pounds of antibiotics that are similar to drugs used to treat human illnesses. North Carolina ranks No. 2 at 1.7 million pounds.

That usage is a concern because scientists and federal regulators believe that bacteria are developing resistance to some human diseases, partly because of the widespread use of antibiotics in animal feed as growth promoters. Officials with the drug and pork industries challenged the report, saying that it vastly overestimated the amount of antibiotics added to livestock feed and that the usage has declined sharply in recent years.

One of the report's authors, Rebecca Goldburg, acknowledged that the estimates are "rough approximations" of antibiotic usage. The government does not track the amount of antibiotics given to livestock. (Emphasis added)

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http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050602/BUSINESS01/506020391/1029/BUSINESS

[Dora]

1. The beasts wouldn't need so many freaking antibiotics...

... if they weren't raised in such stinkin' conditions. They get sick because they're given a sick environment in which to live.

Stop eating feedlot beef and pork, people. Buy pasture fed, or "natural," whatever it's called in your region. At my store (Sun Harvest, part of the Wild Oats chain) it's "natural." It's worth every extra penny, IMHO.

Your health is at stake.