How your Christmas turkey arrives already stuffed '“ with antibiotics
The average turkey now weighs in at more than 10kg, a much bigger animal than its wild ancestor. And, while this has partly been achieved by more sophisticated genetics and husbandry, the use of antibiotics has also played a key role. Stopping the spread of disease in animal production is an important way of delivering welfare – and a healthy turkey gains weight more quickly.
The trouble is that antibiotics are often the first line of attack in both preventing and treating animal diseases. And just as it does in humans, overuse of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of more antimicrobial resistance in the organisms which cause bacterial and fungal diseases.
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