Antibiotics on the Farm: Is a Total Ban Humane?

Recently Twitter member simetra7 declared "Livestock breeders who practice humane animal husbandry have nothing to fear from activists. We want INHUMANE practices stopped!" This was "re-tweeted" by others who agreed. The "misuse" of antibiotics has been made much of in the press. It's created panic in consumers who see antibiotic resistance, MRSA and other issues as serious health issues to people, blamed on farmers.

Simetra7 defined further "Inhumane IMO is breeding animals in such a way that regular antibiotic use is necessary to stop animals from becoming ill." She added" Treat animals same as you treat your children. Prevention of disease starts with hygienic surroundings. Not living in own excrement."

The obvious problem - animals are not children. The different species do not have the same needs as children. The Twitter conversation continued about the then use of cages to keep chickens out of manure. "Cages one on top of other so birds literally (poop) on each other. Birds need to roam also. Would you cage a child for whole life?"

Again - chickens aren't children. Left to their own on a 10 acre diversified farm they will find manure to scratch in. They seek out bugs and anything small enough to swallow including mice.

She continued "Chickens can be bred in barns where they have room to roam free and which are regularly cleaned! No problem." Actually it is. There is, for one, even if daily cleaning of the barn there's many hours it piles up. As stated, chickens are drawn to manure anywhere, including fields. "If preventing death means small cages and having to use regular antibiotics then management is not good and needs to change." That sounds like elimination of keeping chickens. They're up off the ground in cages or on the ground where they come in contact with bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Farmers point to the use of only what is needed, which is then criticized as "factory farms" being unhealthy. The problem is few can define what a "factory farm" is and those that have aren't describing what responding farmers have.

As is normal with serious issues the answer isn't always as clear-cut as we like to make it. Several medications come to discussion - Tylan, Bovatec and others. Activists say they shouldn't be used as preventative.

Bovatec, for example, is used to prevent coccidiosis outbreaks in several species. Coccidia are present in animals. In cats it's responsible for toxoplasmosis which can be passed to humans. Birds, mammals and others have coccidia - it's all around us. Coccidia overload can result in smaller growth, serious illness and death.

Even a pasture run facility can have this happen and once coccidia takes hold it can overload the animal's system - especially young animals - resulting in death. From the Merck Veterinary Manual: "Infection is characterized by diarrhea, fever, inappetence, weight loss, emaciation, and sometimes death. Coccidiosis is a serious disease in cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry ( Coccidiosis: Introduction), and also rabbits, in which the liver as well as the intestine can be affected ( Coccidiosis). In dogs, cats, and horses, it is less often diagnosed but can result in clinical illness."

Prevention is clean, dry quarters, preventing ingestion and prompt treatment. The problem is while many see that as getting out of confinement - many OUTDOOR situations are not clean and dry, especially in times of heavy rain. So here we have activists demanding the impossible - prevent it without confinement under any condition and don't treat for it during times of possible contamination so animals get sick!

Is that humane? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "humane" as "marked by compassion, sympathy or consideration for humans or animals." YourDictionary.com says humanely is "having what are considered the best qualities of human beings; kind, tender, merciful, sympathetic, etc.; civilizing; humanizing."

So it seems humane and treating animals humanely is perspective. For many it is indeed treating animals as children - humanizing. For others the compassion and consideration to treat known problems in time of stress is the humane thing to do - preventing problems from getting to a life-threatening status from which the animal can die.

Congressman Steve King of Iowa addressed the topic. In part: "While human antibiotic resistance is a public health issue, the biggest resistance problems cited arise in hospitals and community settings, problems not related to antibiotic use in animals. There is no scientific evidence that antibiotics used in food animals have any significant impact on the effectiveness of antibiotics in people."

He further states "When Europe decided to ban one use of antibiotics, more animal deaths and disease outbreaks that required additional use of antibiotics to treat diseases ensued."

Indeed when it comes to MRSA it's serious. A friend contracted an especially deadly form of it not from food but in a hospital. This is where resistant bacteria have the biggest capacity to evolve.

When it comes to animals it is common sense that the animals without health issues grow larger - naturally - than an animal that is compromised. With this in mind if antibiotics are used it's to reduce infections - which does have the link of allowing the animal to more fully reach genetic potential.

According to the FDA there are four approved uses: treatment, prevention, control, growth promotion/feed efficiency. As mentioned if an animal has a coccidiosis infection it will inhibit growth - treatment makes a difference. Whether this is "feeding unnecessarily" depends on perspective. The American Veterinary Medical Association sites the Denmark ban on antibiotics as well as one in the Netherlands that did not reduce antibiotic resistance in humans but DID result in "increased death and disease among animals, greater amounts of antibiotics used to treat and prevent disease" - something activists do not recognize.

The complex question is finding a way to make all happy and it just isn't possible. Animals outside can be subjected to - naturally! - conditions that affect their health. They're stressed at weaning whether it's 4 calves in a pasture or 100 calves being fed in a confined lot. Some individuals are stressed more than others and more apt to get sick. Coccidia is but one possibility - if activists see a possibility

While everyone is concerned with human health there is much more at stake than simple fixes. Communication is key. Accurate information and informed decisions from consumers can mean buying habits change or realizing there are much greater risks out there.

Some seek to convert ways of doing things or start new farms but without public support that's a tough means of going. Change will cost and without addressing that with real solutions the effects could be disastrous.

A staggering amount of food is needed to feed America. One approaching storm saw bare store shelves in DC. Cities cannot feed themselves. Rural areas have to. There is neither the free help available nor control of every situation on every 100 acres of ground no matter how it's managed. As with most situations all or nothing will probably be damaging for many in ways they're not prepared for.