Cattle, Sheep, Chickens and Pigs Use 80% of all Antibiotics

It is well documented that the BIG antibiotic problem is overuse in agriculture, where quicker weight gains can be achieved while humans face an enormous tragedy because of it.

But it is perhaps more sobering when presented as a percentage. Or in a graph:

Or, just under 80%. And in case you are wondering, yes meat production is on the rise, but not nearly as fast as agricultural antibiotic use. And of course human populations are growing as well…

Read the post at Mother Jones for the full story, but here’s a sobering fact:

  • Of the Salmonella on ground turkey, about 78% were resistant to at least one antibiotic and half of the bacteria were resistant to three or more.