Livestock Antibiotics

RandomFan

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Lot of interesting issues raised in this article. I can argue it both ways.

Livestock drugs threaten human health, FDA says | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

We have the cheapest and most safe food in the world right here in the US. This change is not needed, and would be a big blow to hog producer's bottom line.

The FDA also wants to require veterinarian supervision of farm antibiotic use, something that isn't mandatory now.
That line is vague. Are they saying anytime a pig receives treatment, a vet must be present? If so, good news for vets I guess... bad news for any and all hog farmers.
 

Bobber

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We have the cheapest and most safe food in the world right here in the US. This change is not needed, and would be a big blow to hog producer's bottom line.

That line is vague. Are they saying anytime a pig receives treatment, a vet must be present? If so, good news for vets I guess... bad news for any and all hog farmers.

You know I hear that a lot, but wonder where the data is to support it and does that data provided really quantify all costs? It's a little peeve of mine. Seems like Americans like to say we're best at this and that, and it's not always the truth. I think the French and Japanese would argue a lot of their food is safer and of higher quality. Brazil could argue very well that their food is cheaper and fairly safe.
 
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Cyfan1843

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We send Japan their food, it is just as safe as ours, Brazil does a good job supporting themselves, and France raises there own or gets it from Europe, Closer and less $ for them. Further more there are still a lot of 3rd even 2nd world countries you still don't see eating a lot of Meat.
 

agcy68

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You know I hear that a lot, but wonder where the data is to support it and does that data provided really quantify all costs? It's a little peeve of mine. Seems like Americans like to say we're best at this and that, and it's not always the truth. I think the French and Japanese would argue a lot of their food is safer and of higher quality. Brazil could argue very well that their food is cheaper and fairly safe.

The fact is that US consumers pay a smaller percentage of their income on food than any other country in the world.
 

Tre4ISU

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Go ahead and make all the restrictions you want. the price of food will follow. Then most of those people will *****.

If they want to do something they should lessen the population density in confinements. Honestly, the meat quality coming from mass production of hogs through confinements has deteriorated pork quality. Open air hogs are less prone to disease and they will produce better meat.
 

Cyfan1843

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Go ahead and make all the restrictions you want. the price of food will follow. Then most of those people will *****.

If they want to do something they should lessen the population density in confinements. Honestly, the meat quality coming from mass production of hogs through confinements has deteriorated pork quality. Open air hogs are less prone to disease and they will produce better meat.


Yaman,

You are absolutly correct on your pork quality statement. Companies that grow hogs in confinments have been geniticlly selecting them for traits other than meat quality. Until recently and they have a lot of catching up to do. As to open lots vs confinment that is up to your situation and what you have availble, but I hope as a whole industry it gets back to a larger focus on Meat quality.
 

woodie

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be glad you r in the united states.most of the rivers in the orient do not have fish in them because the rivers are so polluted that the fish are dead.people are using less antibiotics in the livestock industry over the past few years. peta is ******** about hog confinement systems and crowding of cattle,hogs,chickens and every other kind of animals in confinement rearing. one of my first cousins invented the pig farrowing stall at iowa state
in 1949 and he was on WOI with his invention.it saved a pig/litter average per farrowing-one of the better inventions in the swine industry other than confined hog setups.
just read an article last week by one of the best homoEpathic physicians dr william campbell douglas saying DDT should have never been banned.he claims if it gets into fish,you can eat the fish and if the fish get and retain DDT you can safely eat the fish.
he has had health clinics in africa,central america ,and in the state of washington and he claims we have murdered more people in africa by elimination of DDT. MORE AFRICANS(ADULTS,YOUNG CHILDREN)have died from malaria being spread by mosquitoes since
DDT been banned.
 

isufan

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The vast majority of livestock producers don't give antibiotics excessively. People need to understand that I'm not running out and giving all my calves an antibiotic once a week. I treat one when it is sick, but most of my cattle will never have any sort of antibiotic. I don't think consumers want to eat animals that have been sick most of their lives.
 

Bobber

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The vast majority of livestock producers don't give antibiotics excessively. People need to understand that I'm not running out and giving all my calves an antibiotic once a week. I treat one when it is sick, but most of my cattle will never have any sort of antibiotic. I don't think consumers want to eat animals that have been sick most of their lives.

I agree(I'm from a livestock farm and my brother farms it now with a bunch of cattle).

The article is mostly about low level medication of feed even when animals are obviously not sick. That's a different animal(excuse the pun:wink:) in my opinion.

It's a little like adding a medication to all baby food. We don't do that for good reason?
 
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bringmagicback

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The vast majority of livestock producers don't give antibiotics excessively. People need to understand that I'm not running out and giving all my calves an antibiotic once a week. I treat one when it is sick, but most of my cattle will never have any sort of antibiotic. I don't think consumers want to eat animals that have been sick most of their lives.

Exactly, Ive never understood why someone would brag about eating and support "organic" non medicated animals. Why the f would you want to eat some sickly disease ridden beef or porn....its insane. And I will put our indoor raised pigs against any other pigs in the country and I guarantee you you wont find healthier better meat.
 

IcSyU

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Exactly, Ive never understood why someone would brag about eating and support "organic" non medicated animals. Why the f would you want to eat some sickly disease ridden beef or porn....its insane. And I will put our indoor raised pigs against any other pigs in the country and I guarantee you you wont find healthier better meat.

Isn't most of it?
 

Marc936

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Exactly, Ive never understood why someone would brag about eating and support "organic" non medicated animals. Why the f would you want to eat some sickly disease ridden beef or porn....its insane. And I will put our indoor raised pigs against any other pigs in the country and I guarantee you you wont find healthier better meat.

organic does not mean sick... if it werent for the cost i would go organic. Why the hell would i want to eat some chemically built meat product?
 

Clone9

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One of Iowa State's own economists said it wouldn't have much of an effect on the bottom line.....so what's the problem?

People complain when something terrible happens, but will not accept when other people try and do something to prevent something terrible from happening.

Something's gotta give....
 

Clone9

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The fact is that US consumers pay a smaller percentage of their income on food than any other country in the world.

We're also one of the fattest and most unhealthy among the developed nations in the world.

Is it causative or or just a correlation.....
 

CyForPresident

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We're also one of the fattest and most unhealthy among the developed nations in the world.

Is it causative or or just a correlation.....

Probably causative, but living in the fattest country in the world is better than the alternative.... living in Africa, where there is no food at all.
 

Clone9

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Probably causative, but living in the fattest country in the world is better than the alternative.... living in Africa, where there is no food at all.

Of course, you do realize that there is plenty of middle ground between 3rd world and being one of the fattest countries in the world.

We can do both.
 

Tre4ISU

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organic does not mean sick... if it werent for the cost i would go organic. Why the hell would i want to eat some chemically built meat product?

Go look at an organic farm and go look at a ordinary feedlot. You won't feel like eating the organic product.

You say chemically built. Exactly what does that mean? Have you never had a vaccination? Have you never taken vitamins or some other sort of supplement? So much of this organic movement is based so much on ignorance it's not funny.
 

Tre4ISU

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The vast majority of livestock producers don't give antibiotics excessively. People need to understand that I'm not running out and giving all my calves an antibiotic once a week. I treat one when it is sick, but most of my cattle will never have any sort of antibiotic. I don't think consumers want to eat animals that have been sick most of their lives.

Thats common in cattle. In pork production it is different. There is normally a low level antibiotic in the feed mixture. The thing is though, It is regulated too. You are required to stop feeding a lot of them within a certain time of slaughter.
 

Tre4ISU

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One of Iowa State's own economists said it wouldn't have much of an effect on the bottom line.....so what's the problem?

People complain when something terrible happens, but will not accept when other people try and do something to prevent something terrible from happening.

Something's gotta give....


What terrible thing is going to happen? Are we going to have bacteria develop resistance so quickly that it is become and epidemic? No.
 

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