4 ms·

Let's keep livestock in poor conditions and give them antibiotics to survive, then complain about the consequences

by anArbitraryOne 2y ago

beardedwizard 2y ago
Are antibiotics suddenly a factor in viral infections?
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  The antibiotics permit the shitty unsanitary conditions that make viral spread also more likely.
  - aaomidi 2y ago
    Also they wreck the immune system in general.
  - maxerickson 2y ago
    Most antibiotics fed to cattle are used to bias the population in their digestive system to optimize feed conversion, not for infection control. Milk is discarded if the cow is being treated for an infection, so it's not like they just do nothing else to keep them healthy.
    - ceejayoz 2y ago
      https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/feedlot99_is_treatresp.pdf https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/feedlot99_is_... The incidence of bronchopneumonia in feed lots is 14% of the animals. Infection is very common.
- Affric 2y ago
  Antibiotics are enabling unhygienic conditions. Places with poor governance in animal agriculture have a vicious cycle of poor regulation permitting unhygienic conditions which permits unhygienic infrastructure and practices which causes disease which is papered over by antibiotics which allows terrible conditions to continue.
  - floatrock 2y ago
    (this is an amazingly succinct 1-liner of a complex issue. bravo)
- sitkack 2y ago
  You could have said that in so many better ways.
bluGill 2y ago
This is about dairy. If there are any detectable antibiotics in the milk they have to dump it all. When the vet prescribes antibiotics that cow is isolated in a hospital for a month until the milk contains no traces of antibiotics. They only do this when needed as it costs a lot of money to care for a sick cow. You might be thinking about beef cattle which are treated different from dairy cows. Though even then antibiotics can only be given with a vet prescription. (a change as of several years ago)
- anArbitraryOne 2y ago
  It's nice of you to say that but I really wasn't thinking much at all
scruple 2y ago
I recently learned of the term "progress trap" [0] and now I see it everywhere. In essence, when you invent the car you also invent the car crash. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_trap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_trap

Let's keep livestock in poor conditions and give them antibiotics to survive, then complain about the consequences

beardedwizard 2y ago

Are antibiotics suddenly a factor in viral infections?

ceejayoz 2y ago
The antibiotics permit the shitty unsanitary conditions that make viral spread also more likely.
- aaomidi 2y ago
  Also they wreck the immune system in general.
- maxerickson 2y ago
  Most antibiotics fed to cattle are used to bias the population in their digestive system to optimize feed conversion, not for infection control. Milk is discarded if the cow is being treated for an infection, so it's not like they just do nothing else to keep them healthy.
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/feedlot99_is_treatresp.pdf https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/feedlot99_is_... The incidence of bronchopneumonia in feed lots is 14% of the animals. Infection is very common.
Affric 2y ago
Antibiotics are enabling unhygienic conditions. Places with poor governance in animal agriculture have a vicious cycle of poor regulation permitting unhygienic conditions which permits unhygienic infrastructure and practices which causes disease which is papered over by antibiotics which allows terrible conditions to continue.
- floatrock 2y ago
  (this is an amazingly succinct 1-liner of a complex issue. bravo)
sitkack 2y ago
You could have said that in so many better ways.

bluGill 2y ago

This is about dairy. If there are any detectable antibiotics in the milk they have to dump it all. When the vet prescribes antibiotics that cow is isolated in a hospital for a month until the milk contains no traces of antibiotics. They only do this when needed as it costs a lot of money to care for a sick cow. You might be thinking about beef cattle which are treated different from dairy cows. Though even then antibiotics can only be given with a vet prescription. (a change as of several years ago)

anArbitraryOne 2y ago
It's nice of you to say that but I really wasn't thinking much at all

scruple 2y ago

I recently learned of the term "progress trap" [0] and now I see it everywhere. In essence, when you invent the car you also invent the car crash. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_trap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_trap