ANTIBIOTICS ON THE FARM
A Sobering Experiment
Back in the United States, public health officials have tried for years to yank antibiotics off farms, but the drug and meat industries have always blocked them. They argue there's no proof that drugs on the farms end up hurting people.
Here in Denmark, things were different. Chris Turkelson represents the big poultry companies, the Danish Poultry Meat Association. He says executives believed their government studies.
"So we was a little bit worried about using antibiotic growth promoters, because there could be a risk for the human health," says Turkelson, "and we can see that resistant bacteria was increasing, and that was really the reason why we say, 'Stop.'"
And Turkelson says executives also wanted to protect their business. A popular TV program broadcast a sobering experiment. They put signs on some of the meat in the supermarket that said, 'This comes from animals that were raised with antibiotics,' and then hidden cameras showed shoppers turning away. So when Danish leaders decided to ban only a couple of drugs on the farms, industry executives said, 'Let's get tougher,' and the meat companies told the nation's farmers, 'From now on, if you want to do business with us, you'll have to sign a contract swearing that you never use antibiotics to help your animals grow faster.'
"I think this was a very strong message given to the consumer," explains Turkelson. "We want the consumer to trust the product we put onto the market."
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