There is no definitive connection between antibiotic use in food animals and antibiotic resistance in people, says a veterinarian from Okotoks, Alta.
“We don’t have the data in which we can make some rational decisions,” Tim Guichon said at the International Livestock Inspection Association’s annual meeting.
Antibiotic resistance is normal, he added, because bacteria are determined to survive. They go through numerous replications to develop resistance and ensure survival.
Guichon said the controversy is fed by misinformation from television news clips, magazine articles written by laypeople or opinions expressed by scientists who are not schooled in the area of animal or human health.
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Antibiotic use in animals would be stopped if there was clear evidence it caused human resistance problems, he said. However, there is no clear evidence of a link.
“Antimicrobials are an important ingredient in providing affordable, safe and wholesome food supplies.”
He said animals receive antibiotics to treat disease, guard against future problems like liver abscesses, and as a growth promotant producing economic benefits of about $40 per head.
Many of these practices have been banned in Europe and Guichon worries similar policies could be adopted here.
Governments are pressured to make decisions that the public wants rather than what is scientifically correct. Common medications may be restricted or banned.
“It is conceivable in five years that many of the products we have for animal use will be removed unless we can demonstrate that there is not a problem.”
Guichon said new drugs aren’t being developed because the public’s concerns about antibiotic resistance make it too controversial.
Most pharmaceutical companies prefer to develop medications for people rather than animals.
“As a result, we will not see them for agriculture.”
He said Canadian markets are too small for a company to make a decent profit after developing a product and pursuing government approval. Therefore, new drugs may bypass Canada.
