ISSUE FOCUS 42 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2023 “With alarming predictions on what antibiotic resistance could do to people’s health and livelihood, the poultry industry is taking steps to reduce antibiotic use in animal feed. Many companies and farms have successfully switched to antibioticfree production or antibiotic reduction in recent years. This shows that alternatives to antibiotics are available to help producers maintain their businesses.” Organic chicken, free-range chicken and antibiotic-free chicken are now popular terms in the food supply chain. As consumers become more conscious about their health and animal welfare, the poultry industry has been working hard to address their concerns. There has been a particularly strong drive for antibiotic-free (ABF) chicken. As a result, producers, retailers and restaurants have started to offer ABF choices. Governments have also created stricter regulations to prevent the misuse or overuse of antibiotics in animal feed. Why has there been such a strong adjustment from various stakeholders globally around this issue? It all started with consumer concern about antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is predicted to kill more people than cancer by 2050. This article reveals how reducing antibiotic usage in agriculture is being demanded by consumers, required by governments and led by big brands to help prevent this global health threat. The majority of antibiotic resistance has resulted from human misuse and the overuse or abuse of antibiotics. However, the public is worried about antibiotic use in agriculture for several reasons: • Antibiotics used in farming have also been used in human medicine. • Animals can pass resistance to humans through live contact and/or environmental contamination. • Meat, milk and eggs from contaminated animals (for example, poultry meat that contains antibiotic-resistant E. coli) can pass resistance to humans. WHY IS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE SCARY? Let’s rewind to 1945, when Sir Alexander Fleming won a Nobel Prize for his discovery of penicillin. In his acceptance speech, he warned even then that bacteria could become resistant to drugs. That means that some bacteria meant to be killed by antibiotics can adapt, survive and replicate. Sometimes, they pass this characteristic to other bacteria present in the gut. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is dangerous because it makes treatments fail when people or animals get sick. THE FUTURE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN POULTRY FEED Tien Le Editorial Content Manager Alltech
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