Antibiotics Awareness

In order to ‘prop them up’ until they reach the point of slaughter, healthy animals are often routinely and legally dosed with antibiotics in order to ward off infection. Now we certainly wouldn’t advocate for farmers not providing treatment for sick animals but routine antibiotic use can have devastating effects on antibiotic resistance.

This ‘prophylactic’ dosing is leading to a very real threat to the viability of antibiotics, which could have huge knock on and potentially deadly effects for everyone living on the planet, regardless of their demographic. So vegans could well be negatively affected, due to others’ choices. Seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?

Experts predict that, globally, 10 million people a year could die from antibiotic resistant infections by 2050. We shouldn’t forfeit the efficacy of the medicines needed to treat serious human diseases in order to create even more harm by farming animals.

There are already concerns that antibiotic resistant E.coli from farmed animals are contributing to the 5000 deaths a year in England alone, from resistant bloodstream infections.

The press has been full of stories placing the onus on GPs overprescribing antibiotics to patients and they are indeed being urged to cut back on prescriptions.

But although this is definitely contributory, it is far from the crux of the matter!

Farmed animals account for almost two thirds of all antibiotics used in 26 European countries, according to the ‘Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics’.

Last year the European Parliament voted by an astounding 95% to ban the routine preventative use of antibiotics. The next step is for the agricultural ministers of the member states to agree that the changes should be made. And we will continue to update you with the progress on this situation.

But above all, we would urge people to adopt a vegan diet as being the best step you can take in order to have a positive impact on the situation.