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I'd like to see some data on what an agricultural antibiotic ban would do to the price of meat, eggs, dairy and any other animal-derived food product. It's eas
by jaredhansen 15y ago
I'd like to see some data on what an agricultural antibiotic ban would do to the price of meat, eggs, dairy and any other animal-derived food product.
It's easy to call for an antibiotic ban when thinking only about the scary evolutionary effects, but if we're talking about total human misery caused/avoided* by antibiotic use in farming, it's far from clear (to me at least) that a ban makes any sense at all.
If anyone has data on this I'd be interested to read it.
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*There's a fair argument over the extent to which we should also consider animal utility, but I'm leaving that aside.
- TheFishkin 15y agoWhy do you think an increase in the price of animal products would contribute to human misery? Animal products aren't necessary in a diet at all, and they're only useful in a fraction of the quantity that most Westerners consume. Equivalent nutrition intake can be achieved much more efficiently by directly consuming plant products. I'm ignoring the issue of taste, because I don't think that can be classified as "misery." Also, the current cost of meat is far from fair, as large farms are externalizing the cost of perhaps the largest risk of a catastrophic event for humankind. I wouldn't necessarily advocate a complete ban on antibiotic use for animals. A system that required a prescription from a veterinarian would probably be better. I think either approach would have a similar effect on large-scale farming, though.