This is a diary where the hope is that a discussion will be held or points made that shed light on the overuse of anti biotics in our food supply.
ANTI BIOTICS
Listen to this country dumb response meant to mish mash the topic and distract -
MRSA DENIER -Hog Farmer Craig Rowles remains unconvinced.
"If there was some sort of crossover between the use of the antibiotics in animals and the antibiotics in humans, if there was in fact a real issue there, wouldn't you think we would have seen it?" said Rowles, also a veterinarian who sells 150,000 hogs a year. "That's what the science says to me."
Noone said anything about a crossover of the use of antibiotic use between humans and hogs. It's the diseases we're seeing as a result. And yes, we are SEEING IT!
"Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms generated in the guts of pigs in the Iowa countryside don't stay on the farm," said Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment director Margaret Mellon.
More than 20 percent of all human cases of a deadly drug-resistant staph infection in the Netherlands could be traced to an animal strain, according to a study published online in a CDC journal. Federal food safety studies routinely find drug resistant bacteria in beef, chicken and pork sold in supermarkets, and 20 percent of people who get salmonella have a drug resistant strain, according to the CDC.
Perhaps, the following explains why Hog Farmer Craig doesn't get it:
"Now the public doesn't see that," he said. "They're only concerned about resistance, and they don't care about economics because, 'As long as I can buy a pork chop for a buck 69 a pound, I really don't care.
Please, forgive us Craig for not wanting MRSA and well forgive you for thinking we wouldn't pay more for safer food.
More from Craig -
"But we live in a world where you have to consider economics in the decision-making process of what we do."
Why don't we talk numbers then, Hog Farmer Craig---
Overuse of antibiotics and resulting antibiotic-resistant infections are taking an estimated $20 billion toll on the U.S. pocketbook, according to a new study.
The study found the medical cost of ARIs ranged from $18,588 to $29,069 per patient, while the duration of hospital stay was extended 6.4 to 12.7 days for affected patients. The study estimated the costs incurred at the study hospital as a result of the ARIs to be between $10.7 million and $15 million.
So, farmers are likely directly responsible for 20% of about $20 billion annually in medical costs.
The Iowa Farmer
A 2009 study by Iowa State University economists estimated pork production costs in the United States could increase by as much as $6 per hog in the first year following a ban on AGPs; 10 years after a ban, the cumulative cost to the U.S. pork industry would exceed $1 billion.
So if hog farmer friendly Iowa State says $1 billion over ten years($100 million a year) I'll take their word for arguments' sake. That's still a hell of a lot better than the $4 billion ANNUALY ($40 billion over 10 years) from MRSA & Co(ARI's) their industry contributes.
Not to mention the lives and limbs lost by innocent consumers. But, you wouldn't want to talk about that, would you Hog Farmer Craig. How foolish to think we'd ever consider paying more than a buck 69 for what you're selling. You get what you pay for and we got your two cents.
That'll do, pig.