Treating Cattle with Antibiotics
The primary day-to-day concern for all cattle producers is the health and well-being of their animals. Advances in technology allow beef producers and veterinarians to treat and prevent illnesses more effectively than in the past. Antibiotics, also known as antimicrobials, are medications that fight bacterial infections. Antibiotics made specifically for cattle are used to help an animal regain or maintain superior health and produce safe beef.
Safe Use in Cattle
Producers and veterinarians take great care to administer only the amount of antibiotics needed to bring an animal back to health in order to maintain the continued effectiveness of medicines. The Beef Quality Assurance program has been training beef producers about the safe and appropriate use of antibiotics since the 1980s (See www.BQA.org for more information about this producer education and certification program.) The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Producer Guidelines for “Judicious Use of Antimicrobials” have been in place since 1987 and specifically outline the appropriate use of these products:
- Avoid using antibiotics that are important in human medicine.
- Use a narrow spectrum of antimicrobials whenever possible.
- Treat the fewest number of animals possible.
- Antibiotic use should be limited to prevent or control disease and should not be used if the primary intent is to improve performance.
Answering Common Customer Questions about Beef Production Technologies
Q. Why are antibiotics used in cattle?
A. Antibiotics are used to treat and control the spread of illnesses because healthy animals produce safe and wholesome food for consumers. Producers and veterinarians take great care to promptly detect and treat animals with the correct type and amount of medication, providing the most efficient treatment for returning an animal to good health.
Q. Does antibiotic use in cattle affect the safety of my beef or the effectiveness of human antibiotics?
A. No. In fact, antibiotic use helps producers protect the health and well-being of their animals and further ensures the safety of the resulting beef products. By law, no meat sold in the United States is allowed to contain antibiotic residues that violate FDA standards. Each antibiotic has a mandatory withdrawal period after administering and before harvesting. In addition, multiple studies have reviewed whether antibiotic use in cattle production causes an increased risk of antibiotic-resistant foodborne or other pathogens, and none have found a connection.
For more information, visit ExploreBeef.org.
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