Antibiotics are as important to food animals as they are to people, and those who advocate restricting them from livestock would jeopardize the health and safety of animals and people.
Hog farmers use many tools to raise healthy animals, including keeping them warm and dry in well-ventilated barns, feeding them well, vaccinating them and, in some cases, strategically using antibiotics. They work closely with their veterinarians to diagnose diseases and develop plans to prevent illnesses, all of which help produce safe, wholesome food for consumers.
What hog farmers don’t do – fabrications by opponents of modern food-animal production to the contrary – is indiscriminately give antibiotics to their animals. And while it’s true that the majority of all antibiotics are used in food-animal production – there are 10 billion food animals in the U.S. – most are used therapeutically to prevent, treat and control diseases. Additionally, many of the antibiotics used in animals are not used in, or important to, human medicine.
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