If we have nothing to hide why do we feel ag-gag laws are important?
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Antibiotics
Are we at risk from drug-resistant bacteria in our meat?
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Steady Diet of Antibiotics?
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Drug-resistant Bacteria?
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Food Labels
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Safe Food
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Disease Prevention
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Resources
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Do farmers feed their animals a "steady diet of antibiotics to make them grow faster and eat less."?
"Antibiotics are used in animal agriculture in four major ways:
1) To TREAT DISEASE – antibiotics are used to treat animals after they become ill
2) To CONTROL DISEASE – antibiotics are used to help reduce the spread of a specific disease after an animal has been infected
3) To PREVENT DISEASE – antibiotics are administered to animals to help prevent disease among those more susceptible to infection
4) To PROMOTE OVERALL HEALTH – antibiotics are used to improve the ecosystem of the intestinal tract in food animals, allowing them to more efficiently absorb nutrients"
"Antibiotics are used in animal agriculture in four major ways:
1) To TREAT DISEASE – antibiotics are used to treat animals after they become ill
2) To CONTROL DISEASE – antibiotics are used to help reduce the spread of a specific disease after an animal has been infected
3) To PREVENT DISEASE – antibiotics are administered to animals to help prevent disease among those more susceptible to infection
4) To PROMOTE OVERALL HEALTH – antibiotics are used to improve the ecosystem of the intestinal tract in food animals, allowing them to more efficiently absorb nutrients"
Is our meat “full of drug-resistant bacteria that can infect people if the meat isn't cooked properly?
Here is what the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) tells us:
"Not all antibiotics are the same, and not all antibiotics have the same impact on resistance. We FIND NO EVIDENCE that over- the-counter antibiotic products used in food-producing animals pose a specific risk to human health. There is NO EVIDENCE that prescription-only use of antimicrobials, or banning particular uses such as growth promotion in food-producing animals, has decreased the rate and severity of resistant infections in humans. For example, although the Danish ban may have decreased the overall amounts of antimicrobials used in animals and lowered the frequency of antimicrobial resistant infections in animals, human antimicrobial use continues to increase and the ban has had little to no effect on the growing resistance problem in their human population."
American Veterinary Medical Foundation
Here is what the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) tells us:
"Not all antibiotics are the same, and not all antibiotics have the same impact on resistance. We FIND NO EVIDENCE that over- the-counter antibiotic products used in food-producing animals pose a specific risk to human health. There is NO EVIDENCE that prescription-only use of antimicrobials, or banning particular uses such as growth promotion in food-producing animals, has decreased the rate and severity of resistant infections in humans. For example, although the Danish ban may have decreased the overall amounts of antimicrobials used in animals and lowered the frequency of antimicrobial resistant infections in animals, human antimicrobial use continues to increase and the ban has had little to no effect on the growing resistance problem in their human population."
American Veterinary Medical Foundation
Should you buy meat with “labels that say 'no antibiotics administered, or 'no antibiotics ever.' ?
It is of course, completely your decision to purchase/eat meat with the label you prefer. However, I would be very cautious eating meat with the "no antibiotics" label. Animals get sick just like people get sick. Sometimes medicine is needed to help the animal. Eliminating the use of antibiotics will cause animal health to decline just like human health would decline if we were not allowed to use antibiotics. If there's no scientific proof to the benefits of eliminating antibiotics, why do it? As farmers in care of our animals, it is our responsibility to use antibiotics wisely and only as needed. Be assured though, that all meat and all milk in the market place are antibiotic free!!
It is of course, completely your decision to purchase/eat meat with the label you prefer. However, I would be very cautious eating meat with the "no antibiotics" label. Animals get sick just like people get sick. Sometimes medicine is needed to help the animal. Eliminating the use of antibiotics will cause animal health to decline just like human health would decline if we were not allowed to use antibiotics. If there's no scientific proof to the benefits of eliminating antibiotics, why do it? As farmers in care of our animals, it is our responsibility to use antibiotics wisely and only as needed. Be assured though, that all meat and all milk in the market place are antibiotic free!!
"Farmers must adhere to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations when giving antibiotics to animals. Specific withdrawal times have been established to ensure that meat containing harmful levels of antibiotics does not enter the food supply. FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and food companies routinely sample meat for antibiotic residue. "
"In fact, if you actually do the calculation, you’re statistically more likely to die of a bee sting than you are to end up being even minimally affected through antibiotic resistance related to antibiotic use in food animals." –Dr. Scott Hurd
"In fact, if you actually do the calculation, you’re statistically more likely to die of a bee sting than you are to end up being even minimally affected through antibiotic resistance related to antibiotic use in food animals." –Dr. Scott Hurd
“When an antibiotic is fed to animals for growth promotion or disease prevention, each individual animal is fed relatively small amounts of the antibiotic. Reports that attempt to quantify the total amount of antibiotic fed to animals are often misleading because it is the CONCENTRATION of antibiotic to which an individual animal is exposed that affects the development of resistance and NOT THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ANTIBIOTIC used in a country during a year.”
"when measured as the number of doses administered to animals, there was an increase in antibiotic consumption following the ban [in Denmark]. This is due to the fact that the treatment of sick animals necessitates a much higher dose per animal than the low amounts given to animals on a per capita basis for growth promotion and disease prevention purposes. The question then becomes which of these uses (low-dose for growth promotion / disease prevention versus high-dose for disease treatment) presents less risk for bacteria becoming antibiotic resistant."
–Dr. Randall Singer, PHD, DVM, MVPM
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
University of Minnesota
Best Food Facts - Antibiotics in Livestock
"when measured as the number of doses administered to animals, there was an increase in antibiotic consumption following the ban [in Denmark]. This is due to the fact that the treatment of sick animals necessitates a much higher dose per animal than the low amounts given to animals on a per capita basis for growth promotion and disease prevention purposes. The question then becomes which of these uses (low-dose for growth promotion / disease prevention versus high-dose for disease treatment) presents less risk for bacteria becoming antibiotic resistant."
–Dr. Randall Singer, PHD, DVM, MVPM
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
University of Minnesota
Best Food Facts - Antibiotics in Livestock
A richer social environment = sociable socially competent cows
A response to an article shared with us on a FB post regarding calves - “Early separation of cow and calf has long-term effects on social behavior” – Science News
Here are some of my thoughts and concerns regarding the article: First, How much credibility can be given to a study done with only 26 animals? How valid is the study? What was the motivation behind it? Who were the sponsors? Who conducted it? All questions to be considered if you really want to give this study credibility.
“Their study shows that calves which have contact to their mothers or to other cows during rearing become more sociable adults.”
Do cows really need to be sociable adults? We are talking about cows here, not people. What qualifies as a “sociable adult” cow anyway?
Do cows really need to be sociable adults? We are talking about cows here, not people. What qualifies as a “sociable adult” cow anyway?
A hutch, dome or single pen is not equal to isolation. It’s not like being in solitary confinement. They have air, sunlight, bedding, food, water/milk, everything they need. They have calves for neighbors that they can see and hear. It’s kind of like being in an apartment building or living in a cul-de-sac, they can have their privacy or be neighborly! 😉 Keep in mind though, these are animals not people and they count on us to take care of them. |
Some clarification regarding what our farm does:
We do separate the calf from the mom within 24 hrs. I won’t go into all the reasons why but if you would like to know more, visit our calf page. You can even watch a video of a calf being moved and the mom’s reaction. Most dairy farmers keep their calves in separate hutches or domes for a short period of time before transferring them to group pens. The first few months of a calf’s life are the most vulnerable. We like to keep a close eye on them, making sure they get everything they need, including proper nutrition and health care. Similar to protecting newborn babies, we also like to limit their exposure to bad bacteria which can make them sick, hence an individual pen. “The calves are then fed milk or milk substitute via bucket or from an automatic feeder. The amount of milk the calves receive is usually much less than they would drink from their mothers.”
Calves are fed milk or milk substitute, similar to infants that are fed breast milk or formula. Both are formulated specifically with the babies’ needs in mind. Newborn calves on our farm are tube-fed colostrum first and then bottle-fed milk. It is not until they are older, that the calves are trained to drink milk from buckets or automatic feeders. There are benefits to each method. Every farmer does what they feel is best for their calves and farm.
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The correct amount of colostrum at the correct time is essential for newborn calves. The correct time so that the antibodies are fully absorbed into the blood stream. The correct amount because they need enough to protect them but not too much that they get sick. Colostrum is rich! This is why farmers make sure their calves get the correct amount of quality colostrum within the first couple of hours.
"Cattle are herd animals. As expected, all animals, whether they were reared with or without mothers,
produced higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol when being isolated from the herd, "
produced higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol when being isolated from the herd, "
Some thoughts: First, I agree, cattle are herd animals. Typically speaking, they are gathered together. However, when they’re not and one is off by itself, you know there is something wrong. This leads me to wonder, which comes first in the quoted statement, the stress or the isolation?
If they were isolated from the herd purposefully, I would assume that yes, the stress was a result of the isolation. However, do we really know why stress was the result? Is it because they miss their moms? Or is it because they have been taken out of their routine? Cows love routine and dislike change. Ask a farmer what happens when someone new is in the milking parlor, if there’s any construction being done in the barn, or if a cow has to go through a new gate, they’ll let you know the stress the cows show. Farmers don’t need to measure cortisol hormones or heart rate to see if the cow is experiencing stress, there’s a distinct odor that occurs as a result of a cow’s actions that anyone can smell. |
“Cattle which grew up with their mothers expressed the highest levels of cortisol during isolation, but the heart rate measured in these animals was the lowest.”
Why is this? Could there be other reasons for the high level of cortisol rather than stress? I honestly don’t know but you would think that if an animal is stressed, it’s heart rate would be high.
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Referring to a more active calf – “This could indicate a higher level of motivation to rejoin the herd and a more active way to cope with the challenge of isolation.
“Could indicate” indicates to me, they’re guessing. They may be more stressed but why? Motivation to join herd or a break from normalcy? Our calves cycle between being active and being quiet, just like people do. Sometimes they play, sometimes they sleep. After a meal, they quiet down and usually end up taking a nap. Don’t you wish you could nap after your noon meal? 😊
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“The research shows that a richer social environment during rearing, i.e. with contact to mothers and to other cows, makes animals more sociable and socially competent as adults”
I just have to smile and shake my head when I read this . We need to provide a “richer social environment” for our cows so they can be “socially competent as adults”? Really? What does that even mean? Brings to mind the video of the farmer serenading the cattle with his trombone. Maybe all us farmers should start serenading our cows so they will be not only be more socially competent but musically inclined as well.
Conclusion:
While the terms used in the article/study may seem silly to me, it is true that cows are social animals. We believe that the health benefits of a brief "isolation" far outweigh any possible social disadvantages. At 3 months of age, we start introducing "roommates". We gradually place them in larger and larger groups until they are adjusted to the full herd. By that time, they have had a good foundation for a healthy life. |
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