News • Good Food Trade Campaign
Sustain allies Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics reveal huge levels of antibiotics in US farming
New data revealed by the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics has revealed that livestock raised for food in the US are dosed with five times as much antibiotic medicine as farm animals in the UK.
The data, published today the Guardian, raises fresh fears about rules on meat imports under post-Brexit trade deals.
The paper reports that "the difference in rates of dosage rises to at least nine times as much in the case of cattle raised for beef, and may be as high as 16 times the rate of dosage per cow in the UK."
There have been ongoing rows between the US and the EU about farming methods including the use of chlorine washes, irradiation and growth hormones in beef. Sustain is campaigning against a lowering of food standards in exchange for future trade deals and is concerned that advances made in UK farming, such as the reduction in antibiotic use.
You can read the full article here
Sustain CEO Kath Dalmeny said: “Trade negotiators are champing at the bit to open up new markets for US meat and using the excuse of ‘cheapness’ to counter health concerns. But cheap meat comes at a high price – often lower standards of cleanliness, animal welfare and high use of antibiotics. Any trade deals must aim to support high standards so that human and animal health and welfare are protected.”
"We need transparency and democracy in future trade deals to ensure this."
Read more about Sustain's 10 Red Lines for Trade in Food here: https://www.sustainweb.org/blogs/jan18_10_red_lines_for_food_trade_deals/
Published Thursday 8 February 2018
Good Food Trade Campaign: Campaigning for good trade that benefits people and the planet at home and overseas.
