Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:619;Page:14807] 
11.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Food Safety 
: What steps if any has the Food Safety Authority taken following the 2003 study by Otago University microbiologists which found that up to 52 percent of chicken flocks were contaminated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister for Food Safety) 
: 
 The New Zealand Food Safety Authority is taking this issue seriously. All antibiotics have now been reviewed and some have been withdrawn from use including avoparcin which was the drug identified in the Otago report and was withdrawn by the company. Many products have had their use restricted and products of interest to or use in human health are further restricted. The antibiotic resistance steering group has been re-established regular audits are done and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority is working closely with the Ministry of Health recommending changes and restrictions where they are supported by evidence. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Does she agree that finding up to 52 percent of chicken flocks are contaminated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is an extremely serious health and food safety concern or does she share the view of the Food Safety Authority official who said on national television on Monday night that she did not think it was a concern? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: It is important to note that the source of the antibiotic resistance in chickens was not identified in the report—that is it may not have been from antibiotic use; it could have been from the environment or from natural mutation. It is drawing a bit of a long bow for the member to say it has come just from the use of antibiotics. 
Sue Kedgley 
: If the Minister does think it is a serious concern as she indicated in her first answer why is it that after 5 years as Minister for Food Safety she has still not set up a surveillance programme to work out how prevalent antibiotic-resistant bacteria are in food-producing animals—as was recommended back in 1999 by the antibiotic resistance steering group—or for that matter random checks on chicken meat? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The antibiotic resistance steering group has been re-established as I said in my primary answer. I am also pleased to tell the House that regular audits are being carried out. They are transparent and are made available. I think we do take this issue seriously but we want to base our decisions on science not on hearsay. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I specifically asked why the Minister has not set up a surveillance programme. I did not ask about any of the other matters. Could she answer my question as to why she has not set one up as was recommended 5 years ago? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I did. The surveillance is the ongoing audits that are now taking place. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Has the Minister seen advice from Medsafe expressing concern that routinely feeding the antibiotic tylosin to chickens is conferring cross-resistance to important human antibiotics such as streptogramins—which are of course the last line of defence as a treatment for superbugs—and saying that it is seeking tighter controls as a result; if she has why is she allowing producers to continually feed tylosin to millions of chickens in their water and feed? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I have the latest information from the Ministry of Health from Medsafe. The Ministry of Health is not aware of any major patterns of clinically significant antibiotic resistance developing in this country as a result of agricultural or horticultural use of antibiotics. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Is the Minister concerned by the recent Food Safety Authority audit that found that the amount of antibiotics being prescribed to food-producing animals is being determined by producers rather than by veterinarians that veterinarians are prescribing antibiotics to animals without even visiting farms or seeing the animals concerned and that not a single one of 26 prescriptions that the Food Safety Authority analysed had been filled out correctly or even contained the amount of antibiotics to be administered to each animal; does this not show that there are no effective controls on the prescribing of antibiotics to food-producing animals? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That question was far too long. The Hon Annette King may reply briefly. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The important issue is what impact the antibiotics would have and whether they are antibiotics that are used for humans and have an impact on humans. As I have said most of the antibiotics that are being used on animals have no impact on human beings at all. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I seek leave to table the memorandum from Medsafe that expresses concern at the antibiotic— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that memorandum. Is there any objection? There is.