Don't Follow the Chickens!

If you are one of those that doesn't want to consume your animal products from confinement operations (CAFO) for varies reasons or don't live by a CAFO, you still might be exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

You may not know it, but the agriculture industry is the biggest user of antibiotics and they're playing a major role in our antibiotic-resistant bacteria problems. Antibiotics are continuously used to ward-off diseases due to the confinement nature of their operations.

The findings below gives us all the more info that we need to boycott meats produced in this manner. Yes they produce cheaper products, but in the long run it is hurting us more than we thought....so it is worth it? The solution: buy from a local farmer that does it the humane, healthy and grass-fed way!


***** from: Acres, March 2009 ********

Researchers at John Hopkins University have uncovered an unusual means whereby humans may become exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria: driving behind chicken-laden transport trucks.

The new study was conducted on the Delmarva Peninsula coastal region shared by Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, which has one of the highest densities of broiler chickens per acre in the country. The investigators collected air and surface samples from cars following 2 to 3 car-lengths behinds poultry trucks for a distance of 17 miles. The cars had air conditioning and fans turned off with windows wide open.

The strains of pathogenic bacteria collected were found to be resistant to 3 antimicrobial drugs widely used to treat bacterial infections in people. These drugs are approved by the FDA as feed additives for broiler poultry. The bacteria were found on a pop can inside the car, on the outside door handle, and in breathable air samples collected inside the vehicle. The study is the first to look at exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the transportation of poultry.

The findings can be found in the first issue of the Journal of Infection and Public Health (www.jiph.org)