FLEISCHWIRTSCHAFT international 1/2017

14
Fleischwirtschaft international 1_2017
Poultry
Stricter standards and controls
Use of antibiotics in the Chinese poultry industry and alternative solutions
In China the significance of the
production and the consumption of
poultry meat is very high. The total
output of poultry meat was more
than 14 mill. tin2013; the percapita
consumption was more than 10 kg.
In this way poultry meat is the
second biggest consumer good after
pork (LI WENRUI,2014). This is
associated with apoultry production
becoming more and more intensive.
Particularly with regard to the
preservation of animal health during
the production time the use of
antibiotics seems to be unavoidable.
By Wang Wei, FriedhelmJaeger,
Catharina Hölscher,
HouBoand Ji Lili
According to the official Chinese
statistics the consumption rate
of antibiotics is about 200,000 t.
This is nearly the half amount wold
wide. Theamount of 97,000 tof
them are used in animal farming
systems. This is about 48.5% of the
total amount (LI ZHEN,2009). But
anyimproper practice, especially an
excessive practice in poultry farming,
must appreciated as critically.
Also the importance of the influence
on human health is increasing
today.This item considers the use
of antibiotics in poultry farming
and the correlated problems in
China. Thepossibility and chance
for poultry farming without the use
of antibiotics are discussed.
Use of antibiotics in poultry
production in the past
Since in 1929 the English scholar
Fleming found the Penicillin,
antibiotics are actually the most
used and most important
medicines against infectious diseases.
So theyare regarded as the
biggest discovery in the 20th century.Thus
manyinfectious diseases
could be cured andthe expectancy
of human life could be increased
(HUANG FUBING,2012). Also for
animal farming systems the use of
antibiotics has been amain factor
to prevent and cure epidemic diseases.
In 1946 MOORE et al. reported
already about the performanceenhancing
effectofantibiotics.
They verified, that adaily dose of
antibiotics increases the weight gain
notable (MOORE,P., A. EVENSION,T.
LUCKEY,etal., 1946). Other studies
showed, that as aresult of atargeted
and efficient use of antibiotics
chicklets grow faster,hens lay more
eggs and the loss ratedecrease. In
the development of the last 60 years
over 20 different antibiotics are
used in poultry farming. In 2005 a
market report of the International
Society for Animal Hygiene suggested,
that with an abandonment
of antibiotics in the same time the
In recent years, poultry
farming in China was
intensified significantly.
production of poultry has to increase
about 25% to cover the requirement
(LU XIN,2008).
Butalready since the use of
antibiotics has been started the
apprehension about negative consequences
has been present.BARNES
(1958) and ELLIOTT (1959) reported
about bacterial resistances related
to Tetracycline. In 2002 LI KAINAN
showed that already in the 80’s
pathogenic bacteria have been
resistant to manyantibiotics.In
1997 the world health organisation
requested the governments of all
countries to reduce the amount of
antibiotics. As areaction the regulations
and the supervision of the use
of antibiotics has been intensified
(LI KAINIAN,2005).
Current situation
Theuse of antibiotics in countries
of Europeand North America has
along history and is widely used.
Because of the developing research
and the awkward growth of
bacterial resistances the common
use of antibiotics is decreasing. In
the EU-Countries several antibiotics
are prohibited because of
their growth-enhancing influence.
In 2011 the European Commission
pronounced afive year action plan
for defending bacterial resistances.
Thetarget of this plan where the
appropriated and restricteduse of
antibiotics in human and animal
medicine, and also the optimised
supervision of animal used antibiotics.
In the USA the FDAin1977
allowed the use of Penicillin, Aureomycin
and Oxytetracyclin in animal
feeding systems. In 1996 a
supervision and audit system for
bacterial resistances was established
by the government.This was
the basis to reacttothe appearance
of bacterial resistances by prohibiting
targeted antibiotics. On this way
in October2000 twoquinolone
antibiotics were prohibited for
using in animal feed. In 2014 the
FDAprohibited the use of antibiotics
as preventive agents. In this
way the health of human and animals
should be savedsustainable.
Also in Japan and Australia antibiotics
are often used in animal