December 1, 2010

China annually produces 210,000 tonnes of crude antibiotics, more than 46% of which is used in the livestock industry, experts said.

This has led to an antibiotic resistance in the Chinese population that is worse than in other countries, they added.

A survey by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences revealed that industrial feed often contains large amounts of antibiotics, hormones and other drugs.

In the provinces of Shandong and Liaoning, livestock and poultry farmers remarkably often feed these medicated feeds to protect the animals from possible infections and diseases.

About 50% of the surveyed farmers said they have mixed antibiotics and drugs in the feed, researchers said.

The farmers mixed the antibiotics simply by feel, since most of them lack a more accurate understanding of a possible dose. The amounts so quickly exceed the approved standard for antibiotics, according to the survey.

An industry expert warned that food animals are usually fed with too many antibiotics.

"These artificial feed additives are not degradable and are stored in the carcasses as antibiotic residues," said Xie Zhongquan, chairman of the Beijing Feed Industry Association.

Guanghai Qi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the correct use and proper dosing of antibiotics in animals can accelerate the growth of the animals and protect them from infection.

"But the use of excessive doses or inappropriate medications can cause drug residues in animals and endanger the health of consumers of animal products," he said.