SPRINGDALE, AR
Tyson Foods, Inc., in a vow of transparency, has announced its intention to ween off of and eliminate the use of all human antibiotics in its U.S. broiler chickens by September of 2017.
"Given the progress we've already made reducing antibiotics in our broilers, we believe it's realistic to shoot for zero by the end of our 2017 fiscal year,” Donnie Smith, President and CEO of Tyson Foods, said in a press release, commenting that Antibiotic-resistant infections are a concern on a global scale. “But we won't jeopardize animal well-being just to get there. We'll use the best available treatments to keep our chickens healthy, under veterinary supervision.”
According to the release, Tyson will be reporting its progress on the transition annually, starting with the 2015 report for its fiscal year. The company has already successfully stopped the use of all antibiotics in 35 of its broiler hatcheries, reducing the use of human antibiotics in treating broiler chickens by more than 80 percent in the last four years.
Tyson Foods requires a veterinary prescription for antibiotics used on broiler farms as well, and is currently in talks about forming working groups with independent farmers and companies to take the same reductive measure of human antibiotic use across cattle, hog, and turkey farms.
"One of our core values is to serve as responsible stewards of animals – we will not let sick animals suffer," Smith said. "We believe it's our responsibility to help drive action towards sustainable solutions to this challenge by working with our chicken, turkey, beef, and pork supply chains."
The company is getting input from its Animal Well-Being Advisory Panel, along with industry, government, veterinary, public health, and academic communities to seek alternative solutions and work on funding, though the company believes this will materially affect its financial performance according to Smith. Meetings for the measures and possibilities for the same changes to take place with cattle, hog, and turkey are reportedly set to start this summer.
