Should We Continue To Feed Antibiotics To Livestock?

This is something everyone should be aware of because as bacterias become harder to treat, prolonged stays in hospitals will become more expensive and overcrowding hospitals is a big possibility. Another problem that contributes to antibiotic resistance is the amount of antibiotics that are given to farming animals. Did you know that as of 2015, “80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are given to poultry and livestock” (National Geographic: Should We Continue to Feed Antibiotics to Livestock?, 2015). Knowing the threatening consequences of antibiotic resistance, why are antibiotics given to cattle? The majority of the nation pays no attention to how antibiotics in cattle contributes to antibiotic resistance in people. Antibiotic use in animals is used to prevent diseases or to treat diseases. Another reason to give antibiotics to livestock, is for growth.
Many farmers simply do not have the time to let chickens, pigs, cows etc. to grow naturally on their own. A variety of antibiotics are given to livestock to grow and fatten them up at a faster than normal rate. Because the antibiotics act as a stimulant, livestock need less food in order to gain weight (U.S. Food & Drug Administration: FDA’S Strategy on Antimicrobial Resistance - Questions and Answers, 2017). The quicker agriculture animals grow, the faster they will be able to go to the butcher, and the quicker this meat goes to supermarkets. “Tetracyclines, penicillin, streptomycin soon began to be common additives in feed for livestock and poultry” (Effects of Antibiotics on Animal Feed, 2016). Because agriculture animals are given antibiotics, as in people, over time, their bacteria has a high chance of becoming