RISKY CHICKENS

RISKY CHICKENS
by Sharon Lerner

Bayer Refuses to Withdraw Animal Antibiotic That Causes Drug Resistance in Humans Shortly after the FDA started its effort to ban potent, Cipro-like poultry pharmaceuticals last year, Abbott Laboratories voluntarily withdrew SaraFlox, Baytril's only competitor. Bayer instead appealed the agency's move, fighting to keep selling a drug that treats chicken respiratory infections-and pulls in an estimated $150 million worldwide each year. Cipro dominates the human antibiotic market, but Baytril is the market for chicken super-antibiotics. (In 1999 alone, 38,000 pounds of such super-antibiotics were fed to animals, according to the Animal Health Institute.) The FDA is expected to decide by the end of December whether to ban Baytril outright or to allow Bayer a hearing to defend it.

The agency bases its own case against Baytril on rising antibiotic resistance in human cases of food poisoning from a bacteria called campylobacter, which causes vomiting, diarrhoea, and - in about 1 percent of cases - death.
More at http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0148/lerner.php

U.K. SUPERMARKETS CALL FOR LIMITS
ON CHICKEN GROWTH RATES

The growth rates of broiler chickens should be limited if they cause welfare problems for the birds, some of Britain's biggest supermarket chains said yesterday. They were responding to The Independent's disclosure that British breeders, who have already produced chickens that become too heavy for their own bodies within six weeks, have now bred birds that will grow even faster.

The present broilers, which in six weeks can reach 2.6kg (5.72lb), and have suffered widespread lameness and heart failure in doing so, are to be replaced over the next five years with birds that, in the same period, will reach 3kg (6.6lb). These have already been bred by the two main breeding companies, Ross of Newbridge, near Edinburgh, and Cobb of Chelmsford, Essex.

Animal welfare campaigners allege that the new birds' health problems will show a corresponding increase. The breeders deny this is the case and say the problems will be fewer because the birds have been bred to be more robust. More at ;
http://www.foodmarketexchange.com/datacenter/news/dc_ns_index_detail.php3?newsid=5786


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		RISKY CHICKENS by Sharon Lerner Bayer Refuses to Withdraw Animal Antibiotic That Causes Drug Resistance in Humans Shortly after the FDA started its effort to ban potent, Cipro-like poultry pharmaceuticals last year, Abbott Laboratories voluntarily withdrew SaraFlox, Baytril's only competitor. Bayer instead appealed the agency's move, fighting to keep selling a drug that treats chicken respiratory infections-and pulls in an estimated $150 million worldwide each year. Cipro dominates the human antibiotic market, but Baytril is the market for chicken super-antibiotics. (In 1999 alone, 38,000 pounds of such super-antibiotics were fed to animals, according to the Animal Health Institute.) The FDA is expected to decide by the end of December whether to ban Baytril outright or to allow Bayer a hearing to defend it. The agency bases its own case against Baytril on rising antibiotic resistance in human cases of food poisoning from a bacteria called campylobacter, which causes vomiting, diarrhoea, and - in about 1 percent of cases - death. More at http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0148/lerner.php U.K. SUPERMARKETS CALL FOR LIMITS ON CHICKEN GROWTH RATES The growth rates of broiler chickens should be limited if they cause welfare problems for the birds, some of Britain's biggest supermarket chains said yesterday. They were responding to The Independent's disclosure that British breeders, who have already produced chickens that become too heavy for their own bodies within six weeks, have now bred birds that will grow even faster. The present broilers, which in six weeks can reach 2.6kg (5.72lb), and have suffered widespread lameness and heart failure in doing so, are to be replaced over the next five years with birds that, in the same period, will reach 3kg (6.6lb). These have already been bred by the two main breeding companies, Ross of Newbridge, near Edinburgh, and Cobb of Chelmsford, Essex. Animal welfare campaigners allege that the new birds' health problems will show a corresponding increase. The breeders deny this is the case and say the problems will be fewer because the birds have been bred to be more robust. More at ; http://www.foodmarketexchange.com/datacenter/news/dc_ns_index_detail.php3?newsid=5786