September 19, 2008

South Korea's ban on feed antibiotics lauded 

The Pew Charitable Trusts of USA has issued a statement on South Korea's ban on using certain antibiotics in animal feed.

In banning the use of these antibiotics in animal feed, South Korea takes a critical step in protecting human health. As more countries follow Europe's lead in cracking down on the misuse of important human medicines in industrial livestock farming, the inaction of the US becomes all the more glaring.

In the US, antibiotics are added to the feed of chickens, hogs and beef cattle to increase growth rates, despite numerous studies that have connected this practice to antibiotic-resistant E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter. The US now lags behind Sweden, Denmark, South Korea and other developed countries in protecting its citizens from this growing health threat.

This statement was issued by Shelley Hearne, managing director, Health & Human Services Policy at The Pew Charitable Trusts in response to the decision by South Korea's Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to ban the use of seven types of antibiotics in animal feed.