Antibiotics in animal husbandry: a thorny problem].

Universiteit Utrecht, Faculteit Diergeneeskunde, Dept. Infectieziekten en Immunologie, Utrecht, the Netherlands. dik.mevius@wur.nl

Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde 2010

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The widespread use of antibiotics in animal husbandry in the Netherlands poses a problem to human health, due to the development of antibiotic resistance. However, agricultural managers have to adjust to an economic reality in which antibiotic use is profitable. In the long term, there has to be far more attention to prevention of infection and biosecurity in animal husbandry so that fewer antibiotics are required and the risks of passing on resistant organisms to the population are limited. An important stimulus would be for the meat-processing industry, the supermarkets and the consumers to impose demands concerning food-safety and to be prepared to pay for them. Alternatively, making antibiotics more expensive is a negative stimulus which could work well.