Chicken Dinner- No Longer a Winner
By: Katie Beaton
Tags: Health

The discovery of antibiotics has historically been viewed as one of the most impactful breakthroughs of early modern medicine but the current rate at which we are exposed to them is drastically altering what we know about the micro biotic state of our world. In recent years medical use is not the only form of antibiotics we ingest; the food we eat also harbours large quantities of these drugs, especially poultry. By looking at the work of two different writers we can see how this problematic topic is relevant and how the opposing opinions that are presented ultimately come to the same conclusion- the antibiotics that our food is being raised on is a major problem. In an article written by Sarah Chapman she discusses the problematic effects that plague our population and environment through the use of an estimated 1.6 million kilograms of antibiotics used on livestock per year. In contrast, Maryn McKenna has written an article highlighting the fact that some markets of the poultry industry cannot sustain a complete withdraw of antibiotics from the production of their livestock and continue to meet the demand of their consumers. Although Chapman and McKenna offer opposing perspectives, both authors are successfully convincing of their views through the use of logical appeal in their writing. Chapman effectively uses cause and effect whereas McKenna successfully demonstrates personal experience to solidify their arguments.

The Alteration of Our Micro Biotic Environment

In Chapman’s article Playing Chicken she effectively illustrates the negative impact that raising poultry with antibiotics has on the micro biotic health of not only our own bodies but the health of generations to come. As stated in the opening of her article, humans are made up of and coexist with bacteria on a daily basis and have done so for millions of years, our two species are intertwined from a microbiological perspective. Our symbiotic relationship became harmful only when we tactically started eradicating these micro lifeforms in both our own bodies and the bodies of our food, as seen through the discovery and rise of occurrences of Super Bugs. This only being one of the examples Chapman gives to prove that ultimately what happens on the farm will affect what happens at the dinner table. Throughout her article, Chapman reinstates how our relenting assault on bacteria through the overuse of antibiotics will have unknown and potentially harmful repercussions.

“Many of the worst disease outbreaks in history, the Black Plague, H1N1, and Ebola were transmitted to humans either directly or through our shared environment with animals”

Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash

Chapman’s Use of Cause and Effect

I completely agree with the opinion presented by Chapman that the alteration of the micro biotic environment in which we exist will have drastic consequences in the not so distant future. Her use of factual evidence to show the cause and effect of antibiotics can be seen various time in her articles. One example, which I have personal experience with, is the development of Super Bugs. As stated by Sir William Olser:

“ills which flesh is heir to’ are not wholly monopolized by the ‘lords of creation”

Many of the worst disease outbreaks in history, the Black Plague, H1N1, and Ebola were transmitted to humans either directly or through our shared environment with animals, with the newest of these global crises being Super Bugs. Like all living organisms, bacteria work to preserve their species, and although we tried eliminating certain strains of bacteria from the environment, we only made the remaining strains unresponsive to our only defence against them, antibiotics. I personally have experienced this phenomenon as the antibiotics I was prescribed for bacterial phenomena ceased working, the result being I became sceptic. Although the exact reason is unknown, one of the reasons the doctors gave me was that the strain of bacteria I was infected with had developed a resistance to the antibiotics that the chicken it once lived in was being raised on, which resulted in a mutation that was resistant to the antibiotics to fight the phenomena. The alteration of the micro biotic environment that we live in has drastic effects on our health, as I can personally attest to.

The Dependance on Antibiotics

In McKenna’s article In India a Better Economy Means More Chickens- and Loads More Antibiotics she highlights the fact that some markets cannot withstand the complete withdraw of antibiotics from mass farming if they are to continue supporting the demand of the product. Between 2004 and 2010, chicken consumption doubled in India, going from one-fourth to one-half of the meat market. This intense growth of an industry requires intensive agriculture measures to be taken to ensure adequate production rates, and in this case that needed to be antibiotics. Not only are the drugs being used for disease prevention but also for the promotion of growth, a practice which has been banned in the U.S.A and Canada, at an estimate use of 63,151 tons, twice the amount of antibiotics being used by humans. A complete withdraw of antibiotics would not only cripple the poultry industry but the countries economy as half of the animal protein market is controlled by chicken, which are being raised on antibiotics.

“The antibiotics were pretty much all that was keeping them alive”

Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

McKenna’s Use of Personal Experience

Although I do not agree with the magnitude at which the antibiotics are being used, McKenna’s personal experience helps in convincing me that there is no other feasible option for the poultry industry at this point. McKenna states “Chickens were dying at the rate of 1 percent a day. The antibiotics were pretty much all that was keeping them alive”. This shows that India is a perfect example of a market that would not cease the use of antibiotics on their chickens because they would not be able to feed the population that is demanding poultry. The popularity of chicken in India is clear to see; it’s affordable and carries none of the political complexity of other animal proteins like beef because of this there is no consumer pressure to move away from or restrict the use of antibiotics. Major companies have no incentive to change their relationship with these drugs as the public is not bringing up any concerns, the government has no regulations on its use, and this increases the company’s productivity. Through firsthand accounts like this one you get a better understanding of the complex situation that is the poultry industry in India and why they are so dependent on the use of antibiotics to sustain the industry.

Concluding Thoughts

Although through different perspectives both Chapman and McKenna successfully convince the reader of their opinion through logical appeal. Chapman’s use of cause and effect highlight the factual evidence of antibiotic use on poultry farms, while McKenna’s use of personal experience allows the reader to fully understand the complexity of the situation in the Indian poultry market.