Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 11:21 am
Today, World Animal Protection UK released a report titled ‘Is Factory Farming Killing Us?’, which reveals the true cost of antibiotic overuse in the UK meat production industry. The research, undertaken by a team at the University of Bologna Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, found that in 2022, the overuse of antibiotics associated with factory farms caused almost 2,000 human deaths and a £1.32 billion loss to the UK economy due to absences caused by illnesses linked to these superbugs.
The research also predicted that by 2050, the number of deaths associated with the antibiotic use in factory farms could rise to over 2,400 a year, and the economic loss to the UK could increase by £1.39 billion. Additionally, the UK lost nearly 40,000 work years (disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2022 due to Escherichia coli and non-typhoidal Salmonella linked to antibiotic use in factory farms.
According to the report, the UK farming sector has made a reduction in the use of antibiotics, but it is not enough to reduce the impact on human health. The report also showed that if farmers do not reduce the use of antibiotics in raising animals, and usage in farms stays the same as in 2021, there will be an increase in use between 2023 to 2050 equivalent to over 1,000 tonnes of antibiotics, resulting in more deaths and higher costs due to lost productivity (an extra £6.0 billion).
World Animal Protection UK Farming Campaign Manager, Lindsay Duncan, said: “In 2022 there were almost 2000 deaths unnecessarily due to resistant E. coli and Salmonella associated to antibiotic use in factory farms. We’re calling on the UK government to do the right thing and follow the EU’s lead by banning the routine and preventative use of antibiotics for farmed animals. 70% of people in the UK support a ban.”
Dr Ron Daniels – CEO of the UK Sepsis Trust, added: “The recent reduction by the farming industry of antibiotic use doesn’t go far enough, we must end the routine preventative use of antibiotics to reduce the human health and economic burden of AMR. To do this we have to raise animal welfare.”
World Animal Protection’s polling from September 2023 also showed the concern that the human health cost of antibiotic use in factory farms is causing to people in the UK, with 3 in 5 people feeling shocked that people may suffer with AMR infections, and over 3 in 5 feeling shocked that antibiotic usage on farms may cause financial cost to the UK due to people being affected by superbugs.
The organisation has launched an open letter to the government calling for a full ban on the routine preventative use of antibiotics, which can be signed here.
Mary, a frequent user of antibiotics, shared: “Living with a chronic antibiotic resistant infection for the past 30 years means I live in constant fear, never knowing when another infection will strike. Knowing there is research in the pipeline and support available at patient support through at Antibiotic Research UK really helps, but sometimes I honestly get to the stage where I think life like this is not worth living.”
The global health crisis is at a critical threshold with demand for meat expected to increase by 2030. World Animal Protection is urging the public to sign its open letter to the government calling for a full ban on the routine preventative use of antibiotics.
For more information, visit www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk.
Today, World Animal Protection UK released a report titled ‘Is Factory Farming Killing Us?’, which reveals the devastating toll of antibiotic overuse in the UK meat production industry. The research, undertaken by a team at the University of Bologna Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, found that in 2022, the overuse of antibiotics associated with factory farms caused almost 2,000 human deaths and a £1.32 billion loss to the UK economy due to absences caused by illnesses linked to these superbugs.
The research also predicted that by 2050, the number of deaths associated with the antibiotic use in factory farms could rise to over 2,400 a year, and the economic loss to the UK could increase by £1.39 billion. Additionally, the UK lost nearly 40,000 work years (disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2022 due to Escherichia coli and non-typhoidal Salmonella linked to antibiotic use in factory farms.
World Animal Protection UK Farming Campaign Manager, Lindsay Duncan, commented: “In 2022 there were almost 2000 deaths unnecessarily due to resistant E. coli and Salmonella associated to antibiotic use in factory farms. We’re calling on the UK government to do the right thing and follow the EU’s lead by banning the routine and preventative use of antibiotics for farmed
