the circle of life

From: Lulososo

"In a joint study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University found evidence suggesting that a class of antibiotics previously banned by the U.S. government for poultry production is still in use. Results of the study were published March 21 in Environmental Science & Technology.
     The study, conducted by the Bloomberg School's Center for a Livable Future and Arizona State's Biodesign Institute, looked for drugs and other residues in feather meal, a common additive to chicken, swine, cattle and fish feed. The most important drugs found in the study were fluoroquinolones — broad spectrum antibiotics used to treat serious bacterial infections in people, particularly those infections that have become resistant to older antibiotic classes."
— Science Daily
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"Feather Meal is the protein finished product derived from feathers. Hydrolyzed feather meal is produced in a pressure cooking rendering process. This finished product is used as a protein source for animal feed. It is one of many ingredients that a nutritionist will use to formulate a complete feed. Hydrolyzed Feather Meal is high in nitrogen and because the nitrogen is released slowly, it is useful for organic farming applications. [...]
     Non-Ruminant Animal Blood Meal is a finely ground protein product derived from avian and porcine blood. Blood Meal is used as a protein source for animal feed. It is one of many ingredients that a nutritionist will use to formulate a complete feed. This finished product is high in nitrogen and can be used in organic farming."
— West Coast Reduction Ltd.
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"Baytril is the brand name for a veterinary drug, enrofloxacin, of the antibiotic class of fluoroquinolones. Health Canada recently approved Baytril 100 (a specific dose of Baytril - 100 mg/mL injectable solution) for therapeutic use against bacterial respiratory disease in beef cattle. Before Baytril 100 was approved for use as a veterinary drug, a comprehensive scientific review was undertaken to assess the drug's safety, efficacy and quality. Before approval of Baytril 100, no fluoroquinolones were approved in Canada for use in food-producing animals, however, Baytril has been approved for sale in Canada for use in dogs and cats for many years. [...]
     Baytril 100 will provide veterinarians with an alternative course of treatment for bovine respiratory disease only when other available drugs are not effective.
     If fluoroquinolones are used in human medicine, with growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), why would they be used in animals?
     It is anticipated that the use of Baytril 100 in beef cattle will be very limited. Baytril 100 is a prescription only drug, and the warning statements on the label stipulate the conditions in which it should be used. This drug should not be used in an extra-label manner, i.e., a manner that is not consistent with what is indicated on the label, package insert or product monograph. Baytril 100 will be used for treating individual relapse cases of bovine respiratory disease after initial treatments have failed."
— Health Canada
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