Background:
Antibiotics save lives but their overuse, especially in livestock, leads to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, threatening both animal and human health.
Relevance: GS 2( Health)
- Overuse in Livestock :A significant portion of global antibiotic use is in livestock, with estimates suggesting around 70% used for farm animals in the 2010s.
- Resistance Concerns :
- Overuse can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing health risks to both animals and humans.
- Humans can be exposed to these resistant pathogens through contaminated meat and dairy products.
- Measurement and Usage
- Antibiotic use varies by animal size, with chickens receiving the least and sheep the most.
- Usage is measured in milligrams per kilogram of meat product, with sheep at 243 mg, pigs at 173 mg, cattle at 60 mg, and chickens at 35 mg.
- International Variations
- In 2020, India used 114 mg of antibiotics per kg of meat, compared to Norway’s 4 mg.
- Reduction Efforts
- Between 2011 and 2022, several European countries cut veterinary antibiotic sales by more than half, with critical antibiotics for humans also seeing significant reductions.
- Effective Use
- The goal is not to eliminate antibiotics entirely but to use them more effectively .
