MAF puts farming lobby ahead of human health

The just released Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) report that says New Zealand has a conservative policy on administering antibiotics to food producing farm animals is misleading, Green Party food spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today.

Ms Kedgley said she was astonished that the report did not recommend a prohibition on the feeding of antibiotics that are significant in human medicine to animals on the basis that they are a risk to human health.

"The World Health Organisation warned earlier this year that the routine feeding of antibiotics to animals in agriculture is contributing to increased drug resistance among humans," said Ms Kedgley.

"Feeding antibiotics continuously to animals, especially ones that are medically important to humans, is putting human health at risk.

"The MAF report confirms our pig, poultry and dairy industries use a 'significant mass of antibiotics', and that the pig and poultry industries routinely administer antibiotics to animals in their feed and water.

"The report also confirms many antibiotics that are important in human medicine are administered routinely to animals, including macrolides and streptogramins.

"Consumers will go off our products if they are perceived as a risk to human health.

"We should be following the lead of countries like Sweden and restricting the use of antibiotics in agriculture to the treatment of disease only.

"In typical MAF fashion, it has given the report first to the affected industries, who are attempting to downplay and whitewash its findings. MAF is acting like a advocate for the industry rather than a watchdog for safe food," said Ms Kedgley.