An article published on the Next City website reports that the Netherlands is acting assertively to reduce the routine use of antibiotics on livestock “without any negative effects on production rates or profits.”
The U.S. livestock industry in recent decades has sharply increased its use of antibiotics to try to prevent rather than cure diseases among animals raised for their meat. This has coincided with much of the industry crowding livestock into concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
There are rising concerns that this practice is spawning an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or superbugs, that are endangering human health and making it harder for these one-time wonder drugs to cure diseases, including food-related infections such as MRSA. Many consumers are seeking out meat products that are free of routinely applied antibiotics, and a number of producers and food processors are responding to that market demand.
The Dutch experience could provide more ammunition for those pushing for change. Rachel Keeton writes in the Next City article, “Early data indicates that the Dutch experiment has been a success: drug-resistant bacteria are declining in cows, pigs, chickens and veal… The next step will be to see if there is a similar decline in drug-resistant bacteria in humans.”
Why is what Holland is doing a big deal? Keeton reports that the Netherlands — the size of the state of Maryland and with a population of fewer than 17 million people — is the world’s second-largest exporter of food behind only the United States, and is Europe’s biggest meat exporter.
"Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya ""NextCity,"" Uholanzi inachukua hatua ya kupunguza matumizi ya kawaida ya antibiotics kwenye mifugo ""bila athari yoyote mbaya kwa viwango vya uzalishaji au faida"" na sekta ya mifugo ya Marekani katika miongo ya hivi karibuni imeongeza sana matumizi ya antibiotics kujaribu kuzuia badala ya kutibu magonjwa kati ya wanyama waliolelewa kwa ajili ya nyama yao." Hii imefanana na sekta nyingi za ufugaji wa mifugo katika shughuli za kulisha wanyama (CAFO). Kuna wasiwasi mkubwa kwamba zoea hili linazalisha janga la bakteria sugu kwa viuavijasumu, au superbugs, ambazo zinahatarisha afya ya binadamu na kufanya iwe vigumu kwa dawa hizi za mara moja za ajabu kutibu magonjwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na maambukizi yanayohusiana na chakula kama vile MRSA. Wateja wengi wanatafuta bidhaa za nyama ambazo hazina viuavijasumu vinavyotumika kwa kawaida, na wazalishaji na watengenezaji wa chakula wanakidhi mahitaji hayo ya soko. Uzoefu wa Uholanzi unaweza kutoa risasi zaidi kwa wale wanaosukuma mabadiliko. "Rachel Keaton, mwandishi wa NextCity, aliandika: ""Data za awali zinaonyesha kwamba majaribio ya Uholanzi yamefanikiwa: bakteria sugu kwa dawa zinapungua katika ng'ombe, nguruwe, kuku na ndama... Hatua inayofuata itakuwa kuona ikiwa kuna kupungua sawa kwa bakteria sugu kwa dawa kwa wanadamu." Uholanzi, ambayo ni kubwa kama jimbo la Maryland na ina idadi ya watu milioni 17, ni nchi ya pili kwa ukubwa duniani kwa kuuza nje chakula, baada ya Marekani na Ulaya.