December 10, 2010

Antibiotics use in chickens rises in China

Chickens raised in China are being fed an increasing amount of antibiotics to ward off disease, according to reports.

This results in a residue of drugs in the meat and in eggs, a situation which could lead to people developing a resistance to antibiotics if they ate such food regularly.

"We're strengthening the disinfection of livestock farms, which has reduced the incidence of poultry getting sick," said Zhang Weijian, an official with the Shanghai Livestock and Veterinary Office.

Breeders use legal antibiotics on livestock only when they were ill, while some herbs, with no human side-effects, are also used for treatment, Zhang said.

The city's chickens in their laying cycles are not allowed to be given antibiotics, Zhang added.

However, there has been an explosion in the use of antibiotics nationwide, caused by inadequate regulations and lax supervision.

The antibiotics used on one chicken cost RMB0.5 (US$0.07) previously, already exceeding the country's standard, but now some breeders are spending RMB2 (US$0.30) on increased doses, experts said.

Almost half of the 210,000 tonnes of antibiotics produced in China each year are used in the livestock industry, according to sources.