Antibiotic resistance in cattle is the focus of, “Hamburger Central, Antibiotics for Cattle That Aren’t Sick,” an article posted online by the New York Times and in print with the headline, “Drugs Go to Healthy Cattle. Should Consumers Worry?” on March 23. The article features three officers of Cactus Feeders, Dr. Martin J. Blaser, a scientist at a Manhattan, New York, Veterans Affairs hospital and Mike Callicrate, owner of Callicrate Cattle and Ranch Foods Direct.
Source: New York Times, March 23, 2018 (paywall).
We’ve got to take that potential value and balance it against the risk,” said Paul Defoor, co-chief executive of Cactus. “Antibiotic resistance is a fact of life, no two ways about it,” he added. “We want to make sure that by virtue of our using the products we’re not contributing to it.”
INSIGHTS: This is a must-read by every livestock animal health pro, no matter your perspective on this issue. Because of its brevity, the article misses some big-picture perspective. In fairness, it presents multiple viewpoints. The author also treats Cactus Feeder personnel and Mike Callicrate fairly. Kudos go to them and to Dr. Blaser for their willingness to share with a media outlet that is not always friendly to agriculture. If more of the food-producing sector continues to tell its stories, better-informed feedback from consumers will tell us what they really want.