Are Livestock Antibiotics Really Creating Resistant Bacteria?

Dec 10, 2012

Antibiotic Use in Cattle Can Actually Improve Food Safety

There has been a lot of talk surrounding the use of antibiotics in cattle and how this may be creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This discussion has been for the most part, one sided. The argument has revolved around how antibiotics are overused in the industry, which is resulting in resistant bacteria.

What the debate hasn’t talked about is why antibiotics are used and how it can enhance food safety. It’s important to understand why antibiotics are used in cattle in the first place. Farmers and cattle ranchers use antibiotics to prevent illness or to treat sick animals.

Some people who aren’t involved with the cattle industry are probably wondering if antibiotics are safe for the animals or for human consumption of the meat. It’s important to know that all antibiotics go through rigorous testing before they are approved; and they are constantly being re-evaluated on an annual basis. Meat is also tested routinely to ensure that it’s meeting food safety standards.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has said that there is little to no evidence to suggest that restricting or eliminating the use of antimicrobials in animals that are used for human consumption would improve human health or reduce antibiotic resistance in humans.

Antimicrobial resistance is only a threat to humans if infected with resistant organisms that are difficult to treat. It’s important to note that this is an issue that’s really about transmitting human pathogens between humans.

According to the Institute of Food Technologists, a non-profit group comprised of scientists suggest that the best ways to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistant foodborne pathogens is to reduce pathogens in general. Interestingly enough, foodborne illness rates have decreased by 20 percent over the last 10 years despite population increases.

When examining antimicrobial resistance relating to the cattle industry it applies to pretty much anywhere, while the examples listed above are U.S. sources much of it applies to Canada too. In Canada, surveillance indicates that resistance levels in cattle and retail beef are extremely low and have not increased over time. The following is a link to a fairly recent report by the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS): http://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/antimicrobial-resistance-surveillance/

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.