Very Scary!!!
Groups sue US over antibiotics in farm feed
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 5/26/2011
A coalition of consumer groups filed a federal lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration over the use of human antibiotics in animal feed, saying it creates dangerous superbugs.
The suit alleges that the regulatory agency concluded in 1977 that the practice of feeding healthy animals low doses of penicillin and tetracycline could lead to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in people.
“However, despite this conclusion and laws requiring that the agency act on its findings, FDA failed to take any action to protect human health,” the groups said in a statement.
The lawsuit aims to “compel FDA to take action on the agency’s own safety findings, withdrawing approval for most non-therapeutic uses of penicillin and tetracyclines in animal feed.”
Groups included in the filing include the Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Animal Concerns Trust, Public Citizen, and Union of Concerned Scientists.
The drugs are added to feed or mixed into water given to cows, turkeys, chickens, pigs and other livestock.
However, they are administered at such low levels that they do not treat disease, but leave surviving bacteria stronger and more able to resist them.
“Accumulating evidence shows that antibiotics are becoming less effective, while our grocery store meat is increasingly laden with drug-resistant bacteria,” said Peter Lehner, NRDC executive director.
FDA did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Last year, the FDA authorities pressed farmers to give fewer antibiotics to livestock and poultry to reduce the risk of potentially harmful resistance to antimicrobial drugs.
Yet FDA officials stressed the drugs could play a key role when used properly.
Source: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4873661
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Indirectly when we consume meat we are consuming antibiotics that are fed to the livestocks. Can we imagine that it will come a day we will become resistant to any antibiotics?
It is not news that drugs like antibiotics had been administrated on livestock and poultry and causing harmful reaction to animals and humans who consumed the meat alike. Yet, how easily consumers conveniently choose to ignore these facts and continue their diet even in the expense of their own health. The matter of fact is that, as consumers, everyone has an option, and it is easy and simple. One can choose the diet and decide what to consume. If the meat is unsafe for human consumption, and at the same time the entire meat industry is a living hell for animal, consumers can decide to stop eating and stop buying meat. But I am deeply affected and troubled to say the least on how that so many people who had read and understood these information yet decide to do nothing. Is changing the diet really so hard? If doing it for the animals is a agenda too noble for anyone of us, try doing it for ourselves. The harm contained in the meat and the harm by the meat industry has no mercy to the human body nor to mother earth.
These people are just too selfish. How can they do all these kinds of nasty actions just because they want to save and earn more money? How selfish and cruel just can humans be? They already know that doing so will not give any good to the animals nor the humans, then why do they still do it? Is money really that important that it takes over our humanities? Money is just an object there is no point of being clingy to it because our stay on this earth is very limited, so why not do something that will actually make the world a better place instead of doing things like that would bring nothing else but negativeness.
Where is the bright side of the world? Why do I feel that this world is being covered with more darkness than brightness. If things like this keeps going on and on, soon enough everybody one this earth will actually stop trusting each other. And when that happens, that is when humans will start to have wars with each other again and again which no one wants to have it because it will bring a lot of disharmony, hatred among ourselves, chaos and importantly when we have all these kinds of wars, we will not be the only one to be affected. People we love like our families, friends and love ones will also be affected.
Seriously though, everyone should really stop doing things that are so unconsidered and self-centered like this. Everyone should also understand that being rich is not always about the amount of money we have but it is the amount of people that truly love and appreciate us from the bottom of their heart. Every single day we live past is a sign that we are one day closer to our death and we are running out of time, so live your life where you can bring happiness to other people’s lives and also live your life as your gonna die tomorrow.
Dear Rinpoche, why would they feed the animals drugs? If it’s hormones then I can understand (I’m not saying that using hormones on animals is fine) but why? They say that the workers in the KFC gives the chicken so much hormones that the chickens somehow grow 6 wings! And most of them are unable to walk properly due to the hormones.
This is so bad! The drugs will eventually affect the health of the animals and also the humans who consume their meat. But I also think that it’s a good reason for us to become a vegetarian, good not in the sense of hurting the animals but the humans do not need to consume their meat again.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
Love, beatrix.
The best way to solve this problem is stop eating meats. Because from eating meats, all these problem arise. And it doesn’t bring any benefit to anyone, whether the meat seller or the buyer, or the person who take care of the farm! We always heard of this kind of problems and they are endless, because people are greed to earn more money, and the buyer is greed to eat more. To stop the problem, we should control our greed which bring zero benefit.
Why say becoming a vegetarian is hard, but not taking care of the pig farm and settle all these problems mentioned above? If you eat meat, you will need to make sure so many things and have so much worries. The why eating meats is not hard? I don’t understand.
This is what we put in our mouth everytime we consume meat. The meat is a direct conduit for antibiotics to go into our bodies. So as we eat the meat we are consuming more and more antibiotics. How can that be healthy for us?
Shelly Tai on June 09,2011at 10:05am
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this news with us, this is so scary. The farmer are only concern about theirs profit they are so irresponsible and selfish. I think the best is go green i m glad my whole family is vegetarian now thanks to Rinpoche teaching it inspiring us to become vegetarian.
Disgusting! I hope that people would be more aware of what they are putting on their plates. Scary stuff. That is why we GO GREEN! hehe 🙂
Thank you for sharing this article with us Rinpoche!
Unscrupulous businessmen are always thinking of reaping profits at the expense of their consumers. No wonder more potent virus are being created and more difficult to be treated.
This is a vicious cycle of demand and supply. So, it’ll be great if more people can cut down on meat consumption if not go vegetarian. This not only help reduce the suffering of the helpless animals but also for our own health.
Yes, we keep reading about animals being pumped with chemicals, on the one hand, and about meat-eaters blithely enjoying the chemical laden meat, on the other.Why can’t they wake up to this ugly truth about meat and become vegetarian for the sake of their health and well-being?
Yae!!!Go vegetarian…go Kechara Oasis!!!
I always avoid antibiotics even doctor prescribed the medicine to me. Few years ago i heard form my friend whose relatives into pig business said that the meat out to the consumers can be BAD MEAT!
The best solution is to go vegetarian or cut down meat eating gradually.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this.
Yay! Go vegetarian starting TODAY! NOW
Nowadays it is difficult to find safe and healthy food to eat.
Just recently the local Malaysian newspaper reported about rubbish pork being dumped and sold to the food vendors without them realising it. These rubbish pork could be derived from death pigs. Meat lovers can you imagine eating these rubbish pork?
If is a known fact that most meat contains antibiotics or other drugs. Qigong practitioners, Yogis or other healers will advise you to avoid meat altogether because meat contains very ‘dirty’ red energy which when consumed can be harmful to our wellbeing.
How could meat lovers still continue to enjoy eating meat with all the latest findings about the health hazards and many other disadvantages of consuming meat?
To avoid these unnecessary health hazards, Go Vegetarian!
This drugs are added into the feed meals so that the farm owners can reap a good profit. However, it is harmful to humans in the long run. So the best way is to cut down or stop taking meat. I am glad I did! No more meat for me.
Animal farm owners only concern in feeding antibiotics to their livestock is that the animals are ‘healthy’ so that the farmers have a profitable yield. Ka-ching!
Antibiotics for humans should only be taken when prescribed by a medical practitioner, not to be bought over the counter and consumed without a prescription. Worse still is when we do not complete taking the course of antibiotics prescribed. This way, humans too contribute to creating super bugs.
I do not take antibiotics if it is a viral infection unless it is prescribed by my doctor for a bacterial infection.
We tend to believe in our own governments of providing the correct information to protect our livelihood and health, but a lot of the times, and in the case of the US Food and Drug Administration, a lot of back door politics and lobbying are at play for greed in order that certain laws and regulations are to be passed at the expense of the rights of their fellow countryman.
At the end of the day…..you don’t even know whether to believe or not to believe the ruling people who are supposed to protect us.
I am glad that I do not have to worry about this as my two sons and I are already full time vegetarian.
Looking at the current environment, it only make sense to either cut down on meat consumption…. if not for spiritual beliefs, at least for the sake of your own health.
Agree with Margaret on the politic issues.