Leigh Rosengren said producers would be derelict if they didn’t use medication to treat their animals when they’re sick
Most consumers should understand that livestock producers must use antibiotics to treat sick animals, said Dr. Leigh Rosengren.
The veterinarian and owner of Rosengren Epidemiology Consulting told producers at Canadian Western Agribition that they also need to understand that antimicrobial resistance is a health threat.
“We’re hearing a lot of negative media right now, particularly coming from food marketers, about antibiotic use in meat animals,” she said in an interview.
“It is not strictly media hype.”
Rosengren said producers have a responsibility to be good stewards when using antibiotics to treat sick animals and should work closely with their veterinarians to make sure their treatment protocols treat the animal and are responsible from a public health perspective.
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“Personally I believe most producers are very responsible with antibiotics, but as the human health sector has recognized, there’s always room for improvement,” Rosengren said.
She recommended that producers keep records of antibiotic use and participate in quality assurance programs.
Communication is key. Consumers understand that they treat sick people with antibiotics and livestock producers do the same. They should be transparent about what they do on their farms, said Rosengren.
“It’s a long way from the farm to the fork so the actual hazard or risk posed from antibiotic use on farm is infinitesimally small to the consumer,” she said.
“The potential for resistant bacteria from an animal to actually make a consumer ill and then have an antibiotic not work in that consumer, the odds are one in many millions so the consumer should understand that,” she said.
Consumer interest in issues of animal welfare, antibiotic resistance and other real or perceived threats is not likely to go away.
Being defensive in the face of media hype hasn’t helped livestock producers, she said. She added that the human health sector is also taking a close look at its antibiotic use and practices.
“We’re all in this together,” she said.
karen.briere@producer.com
