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Food news from the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Produce at the market
Comments:
by christine anthony
on October 31, 2019 at 1:20 PM
What about all the antibiotics that are used in raising livestock these days? They are expelled in the manures. Where do they go? I seek manures for my home compost from nearby horse keepers who do not use a constant flow of antibiotics in the animals.
by Chris M Brunner
on October 31, 2019 at 3:34 PM
Hi Christine,  
 
Actually, we are doing research (ongoing) to see if anaerobic digestion processes reduce antibiotic residues. In general, these digesters are not designed to reduce antibiotic residues. The main goal is to capture biomethane.  
 
Thank you,  
 
Dr. Pramod Pandey  
Associate Specialist  
Population Health and Reproduction Department  
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
by Chris M Brunner
on November 1, 2019 at 11:43 AM
Christine,  
 
Recent policy and regulatory changes in the United States have been implemented to promote the judicious use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry. For more information, see the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Definition and Core Principles: https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Antimicrobial-Stewardship-Definition-and-Core-Principles.aspx  
From a public health perspective, I would be more concerned about the presence of human pathogens such as Salmonella in horse manure. Proper composting will help eliminate the risk from harmful germs in animal manure, and make a better soil amendment than raw manure.  
 
Michele Jay-Russell, DVM, PhD, DACVPM  
Research Microbiologist & Manager  
Western Center for Food Safety  
Liaison, Western Institute for Food Safety and Security  
University of California, Davis
 
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