Antibiotics fed to livestock wind up in veggies--even organically raised veggies

[eridani]

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/antibiotics-in-crops

For half a century, meat producers have fed antibiotics to farm animals to increase their growth and stave off infections. Now scientists have discovered that those drugs are sprouting up in unexpected places.

Vegetables such as corn, potatoes and lettuce absorb antibiotics when grown in soil fertilized with livestock manure, according to tests conducted at the University of Minnesota.

Today, close to 70 percent of the total antibiotics and related drugs produced in the United States are fed to cattle, pigs and poultry, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Although this practice sustains a growing demand for meat, it also generates public health fears associated with the expanding presence of antibiotics in the food chain.

People have long been exposed to antibiotics in meat and milk. Now, the new research shows that they also may be ingesting them from vegetables, perhaps even ones grown on organic farms.

The Minnesota researchers planted corn, green onion and cabbage in manure-treated soil in 2005 to evaluate the environmental impacts of feeding antibiotics to livestock. Six weeks later, the crops were analyzed and found to absorb chlortetracycline, a drug widely used to treat diseases in livestock. In another study in 2007, corn, lettuce and potato were planted in soil treated with liquid hog manure. They, too, accumulated concentrations of an antibiotic, named Sulfamethazine, also commonly used in livestock.

As the amount of antibiotics in the soil increased, so too did the levels taken up by the corn, potatoes and other plants.

[groovedaddy]

1. Mother Nature is likely to get pissed off by this stuff! n.t

[iamjoy]

2. Growing Demand For Meat...

Meat ought to be more expensive. I say this as a devoted carnivore. It's a dilemma for me because I know the problems eating meat creates.

The only way to get Americans to reduce their meat consumption is ot put market forces to work. Meat should be more expensive. At the same time, we need to educate society about how to get adequate nutrition without meat. Vitamin dense vegetables should be subsidized. Unprocessed whole wheat flour should be subsidized, refined flour should not. Oh, and high fructose corn syrup should also be taxed.

[eridani]

4. I eat less meat after switching to local pasture-finished meat

--But I'm enjoying it and appreciating it more. It has to be more expensive becsuse the costs show up in the product instead of being fobbed off on future generations.

[PerfectSage]

3. Holy crap

I guess the one straw revolution solution of raising your own chickens and letting them wander in the veggie patch, fertilizing as they go is the best manure of all.

http://fukuokafarmingol.info/

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. So happy to hear the concept has not disappeared.

I have had that book for years, from the "hippy" days.
All those skills are beng re-used now on our new place.
It works.

[PerfectSage]

6. One straw revolution is new to me

But it all made sense based on what I read about holistic medicine, the importance of a healthy gut, fiber, pro biotic bacteria and detoxifying.

ie a healthy gut turns food into dirt creating a healthy body and healthy dirt turns dirt and air back into healthy food.


My sister bought 10 acres in November and is going to do market gardening in the spring. I read her copy of one straw revolution at Christmas.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Organic and healthy gardening keeps being a re-discovered idea, it seems.

Ben Franklin had a lot to say about it, as did Jerfferson.
Now Michael Pollen is giving his cred. to a series of old gardening manuals and books.

The basic idea is healthy "tilth".
Permaculture works for that reason.