The abuse of antibiotics in the livestock and aquaculture industry urgently needs to be addressed

Currently, the use of antibiotics in the livestock and aquaculture industry is relatively widespread, and in some cases it has gone far beyond the scope of antibacterial treatment, causing bacteria to develop drug resistance, creating new difficulties for the prevention and control of livestock and poultry diseases, and also posing a threat to the safety of livestock and poultry products. This urgently requires great attention and governance.

It is understood that the main reasons for the abuse of antibiotics in the livestock and aquaculture industry are as follows: First, to prevent and treat livestock and poultry diseases, farmers use large amounts of antibiotics during the breeding process, and some farmers even give livestock and poultry medication in advance to prevent disease. In daily drug supervision work, the author has learned that antibiotic drugs sell relatively well in rural areas, and most are purchased by farmers, far exceeding the amount needed to treat animal diseases. Second, some feed production enterprises use antibiotics in order to highlight product efficacy, causing farmers to use them continuously without knowing it until livestock and poultry are ready for market, resulting in antibiotic residues in animal-derived foods. Third, relevant laws, regulations, and mandatory standards are not sound, and supervision and punishment are weak. Although the Measures for the Administration of Prescription Drugs and Non-prescription Drugs for Veterinary Use, which took effect on March 1 last year, imposed certain restrictions on the use of antibiotics in the livestock and aquaculture industry, the antibiotics used by farmers do not necessarily all come from veterinary drugs. Whether in terms of regulations or supervision, there are obvious blank areas. Due to the lack of substantive punitive measures, weak punishment, and extremely low cost of violation, farmers and feed production enterprises feel no fear.

Abusing antibiotics not only restricts the sustainable development of the livestock and aquaculture industry, but the food safety problems it causes also cannot be underestimated, and great efforts are urgently needed to address it.

First, a sound monitoring system for antibiotic drug residues should be established and improved, and antibiotic drug monitoring should be brought onto the track of rule-of-law management. All antibiotics should be listed as prescription drugs for management (whether for human use or veterinary use), and production and sales should have complete purchase and sales records to facilitate supervision. Only by controlling the production and sale of antibiotics at the source can the phenomenon of antibiotic abuse truly be curbed. Second, industry standards should be formulated as soon as possible, and testing methods for antibiotic drug residues should be improved. Investment in technology should be increased, and fast, accurate, and simple testing methods should be developed as soon as possible. At the same time, penalties and crackdowns on farmers who abuse antibiotics should be increased, and the cost of violation should be raised. Third, support for science and technology in the poultry farming industry should be increased, and support for research on antibiotic substitutes should be increased, actively guiding farmers to voluntarily abandon feed antibiotics and adopt substitute products for green farming. Finally, publicity and guidance should be strengthened so that the public correctly understands the dangers of antibiotic abuse.