Industry News - AM

Cargill pledges to reduce antibiotics use in feed yards


By Lisa M. Keefe on 3/9/2016

Cargill is eliminating 20 percent of so-called shared-class antibiotics — those deemed important for human medicine and farm animals — from its four feed yards in Texas, Kansas and Colorado, and four additional feed yards operated by Friona Industries, a strategic business partner that supplies the company with cattle, the company said in a news release.

The total number of cattle involved annually is about 1.2 million.

Cargill said it made this decision after evaluating existing third-party research and research previously conducted by the company regarding reduced antibiotic use, as well as customer and consumer input. For the beef cattle covered by this announcement, Cargill does not use any antibiotics for growth promotion that are medically important for human health.

“Our decision to eliminate 20 percent of the antibiotics used in our beef cattle, which are also used for human health, took into consideration customer and consumer desires to help ensure the long-term medical effectiveness of antibiotics for both people and animals,” said John Keating, president of Cargill’s Wichita-based beef business. “We need to balance those desires with our commitment to ensure the health of animals raised for food, which contributes to the production of safer food.”

Implementation of this decision builds upon Cargill’s 2014 decision to eliminate growth promoting antibiotics from its U.S. turkey business, which was completed in time for the 2015 holiday turkey season and underscores the company’s stated commitment to reduce the use of human antibiotics in food production.

Cargill will also continue to explore alternatives to antibiotics that could further reduce their use in beef cattle, collaborating with cattle ranchers, researchers, universities and allied partners to identify production practices and viable alternatives that could result in further reduction in the use of medicines for food animal production. Research projects are underway with the focus on topics ranging from nutrition to feeding practices.

“As part of the consumer research we’ve conducted, we learned that we need to be more transparent about practices such as use of antibiotics,” Keating explained. 

USDA inspectors ensure that all meat products are free of antibiotic residues before distribution — regardless of whether the animals were treated with antibiotics.

Cargill also offers its customers antibiotic-free beef options through an affiliation with a strategic business partner that markets branded products.


 
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