Every year in the UK about 12,000 people die from antibiotic resistant bugs. In the EU it's around 33,000.
And every year those figures will rise. Unless we do something about it. In fact the World Health Organisation predicts that by 2050 ten million people a year could die from antibiotic resistant bugs.
The root of the problem is overuse of antibiotics in general. But especially overuse on farms.
Because when a bacteria is exposed again and again to an antibiotic it eventually becomes resistant to it. And the antibiotics stop working.
About two-thirds of antibiotics used globally go to farm animals. Not people
Most are given to animals that aren't actually ill. They're just given as a preventative.
In the UK 30% of all antibiotics are used on farm animals and three quarters of those are used as preventative medication.
So, all we're doing is helping to make our antibiotics resistant by overusing them.
More worryingly, we now know that when antibiotics are mixed with other agro chemicals, bacteria can develop resistance to an antibiotic up to 100,000 times faster.
Overall, grass fed cattle are given far fewer antibiotics than grain-fed cattle
Better still, grass fed cattle also harbour far fewer superbugs.
Superbugs are bacteria that are resistant to three or more classes of antibiotic. Studies show 18% of the conventional beef samples are contaminated with superbugs – compared to just 6% for grass fed beef and 9% for organic.
And it doesn't stop there.
Feeding cows on a natural diet of grass helps stop bugs getting into you
Here's why.
When you feed cows an unnatural diet of grain and cereals their digestive system turns highly acidic.
But when fed a natural diet of grass – not only is the overall bacteria count lower their stomachs are far less acidic. Importantly, this stops bacteria in their digestive system from becoming acid resistant.
And that's good – because acid-resistant bacteria are far more likely to survive the acidity of your own digestive juices and get into your system that way.
The long and the short of it is... grass fed beef helps in the struggle to keep antibiotics effective for you and your family. And you're less likely to fall victim to superbugs.
SOURCES
Antibiotic use on crops in low and middle‑ income countries based on recommendations made by agricultural advisorCABI Agriculture and Bioscience
Philip Taylor, Robert Reeder – 2020
No time to wait: Securing the future from drug-resistant infections
World Health Organisation
April 2019
Health benefits of grass-fed products
Eat Wild
Jo Robinson
Application of a simple point-of-care test to reduce UK healthcare costs and adverse events in outpatient acute respiratory infections
Journal of Medical Economics
John E. Schneider, Catharina Boehme, Bettina Borisch & Sabine Dittrich – Apr 2020
EWG’s quick tips for reducing your diet's climate footprint
Environmental Working Group
Geoff Horsfield – April 2022
Feeding the problem
GreenPeace – February 2019
Antibiotics and farming
Alliance To Save Our Antibiotics
New European Union rules on farm antibiotic use , UK drops behind EU on farm antibiotics standards
Alliance To Save Our Antibiotics, Compassion in World Farming
January 2022