Both the chicken and turkey industries are making serious progress in reducing the use of antibiotics, according to a recent report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Overall reduction in antibiotic use
In December 2018, the FDA issued its annual report covering the sales and distribution of antibiotics approved for use in food-producing animals. The report displayed the dramatic changes in antibiotic sales since the implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) in January 2017.
The report said domestic sales and distribution of medically important antibiotics approved for use in food-producing animals decreased by 33 percent from 2016 to 2017. Sales of tetracycline — the type of medically important antibiotic with the highest usage — decreased by 40 percent from 2016 to 2017.
In addition, the report showed sales and distribution of medically important antibiotics approved for use in food-producing animals decreased by 28 percent from 2009 to 2017. This shows the livestock and poultry industries not only made major reductions in medically important antibiotic usage, but that they began reductions in their usage well in advance of the VFD deadline.
Production changes making an impact
The poultry industry worked diligently to implement management, production and disease control programs minimizing the need to use antibiotics to control and treat diseases. This FDA report shows the poultry industry has been very successful in its efforts.
For instance, the estimated sales of medically important antibiotics for use in chickens represented 5 percent of the total sales. Turkeys represented 12 percent. This indicates a decrease of 47 percent for chickens and 11 percent for turkeys from 2016 through 2017.
Moreover, the FDA set no equivalent guidelines for future use of antibiotics that are not medically important for human medicine. Nevertheless, sales of non-medically important antibiotics for chickens decreased by 13 percent — and for turkeys by 5 percent — from 2016 through 2017. It is clear that the antibiotic usage programs in the poultry industry have been broad based and comprehensive.
Looking ahead
The whole reason for the effort to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in animals was to reduce the incidence of antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens coming from animal-based food products. It remains to be seen whether this ongoing reduction of antibiotics use in the livestock and poultry industries will indeed reduce antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens and consequently reduce the risk to human health. It will likely take years for the overall effects to be observed and evaluated.
Meanwhile, the livestock and poultry industries will continue to refine their production and health programs in order to produce the most wholesome meat and poultry products available anywhere in the world.
