Well hidden on the website of the Ministry of agriculture, a controversial collection of data. It shows how often the animals are treated with antibiotics.
Now the latest Figures for the second half of 2018. First the good news: the fattening of pigs, cattle and calves, fewer antibiotics be used, as in the last few years.
Alarming it looks, however, in the case of broiler chickens: this is Where the increase is dramatic. Since the beginning of 2016, the value increases rapidly. From 11.860 to the current value of 19.745.
Experts are sounding the Alarm
Dangerous germs in rivers, streams and lakes
The statistics is not easy to read. It reveals not how much the antibiotics used. It shows, however, how frequently the drug is used: the so-called therapy frequency. This value is calculated as: number of treated animals is multiplied by the number of days of treatment, and divided by the average number of owned animals per half-year.
Too complicated? You can also say: the higher the values, the more the fatteners engage in the antibiotics pharmacies. In animal every year, are consumed mast, hundreds of tons of antibiotics. In Germany, in 2017, approximately 733 tons.
We are also experts in the Ministry of agriculture, Julia Klöckner (CDU) are startled by the high level of antibiotics-values in broiler chickens. A spokeswoman put it to the star to be diplomatic. “This is not satisfactory.” What it is, that in German chickens so many antibiotics, stables are used, not know you. The goal is to reduce the quantities.
Antibiotics the most important tool for the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases in both animals and humans. However, the cases of antibiotic resistance to take – also in Germany. Thus, drugs can lose their effectiveness and people are dying. In the USA there were already infections with super germs, against which no antibiotic will help.
Multi-resistant germs – thousands of deaths a year
The European epidemic authority ECDC has published Figures from the year 2015: In Europe, over 33,000 people died this year from infections with multi-resistant germs. Consequently, a year as many people would die of these infections, such as Influenza, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids.
In Germany, 2300 people died of infection with multi-resistant germs, particularly affected: children under one year of age and Older than 65 years.
Also the Central Association of German poultry industry (ZDG), startled the experts. A spokeswoman tried to explain the high values from the chicken coops. You give a lot of effort in the chicken houses to reduce the use of “reserve antibiotics”.
“Reserve antibiotics” for use in human medicine, “reserved”. The poultry Lobby argues that, In the case of these drugs have you obtained in chickens for fattening in the last few years a significant decline. In 2014, there were approximately 68 tons, in 2017, approximately 59 tons. Means in plain text: It is less, but still too much. Because overall, the values increase in the chickens for fattening.
Also, the chicken-fatteners an attempt at an explanation: the “reserve antibiotics”to protect deliver in the chicken houses are now increasingly “Two-ingredient preparations,” applied. Instead of a single active ingredient, the statistics capture two materials for the same application process. This is the reason why the values increase in the statistics of the Ministry of agriculture.
In the case of the turkeys it looks better
However, a question remains open: Why not manage the chicken coops, what works for the turkeys? Because the turkeys are the values in the antibiotic-statistics is better.
This is because the employees have changed in the past few years, the attitude of management in the stables. For example, the young turkeys (from Chicks of age up to the fifth week of life) are separated from the older animals for Fattening spatially. “Ping-pong” effects, the germs of mutual and long-lasting infection with disease, can be minimized. Fewer antibiotics need to be used.
Why, then, is not done for a long time in the chicken coops?
In advance by the Federal office for consumer protection and food safety (BLV) was communicated to each of the fatteners, the identification number of the therapy frequency for its operation. He also, you have the farmer, together with his veterinarian, the reasons for the high consumption, to determine and ways to reduce check.
