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Letter to the editor of Sunday Star Times, 7 February 2007

Sir,

Your 28 January story ‘Bugs fight back against antibiotics’ contains a number of comments that are both emotive and inaccurate. All of these could have been quickly checked by Greg Meylan with either a call to the New Zealand Food Safety Authority or a visit to our website. Information on antibiotic resistance and the work of the Expert Steering Committee is at http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/chemicals-nutrients-additives-and-toxins/antibiotic-resistance/

Antibiotics are not ‘poured down the throats of animals willy-nilly’. There are tight controls on the use of animal remedies, and those that are also of use in human medicine must be prescribed by a veterinarian and are for disease prevention or treatment use only. NZFSA closely monitors this, and the Ministry of Health is also involved in the approval process.

The reference to the poultry industry being of particular concern is untrue. When we test for chemical residues, we deliberately target the organ most likely to contain these. While our extensive testing has, on very rare occasions, found antibiotic residues in chicken livers, none have been found in chicken meat for many years.

In New Zealand, the use of antibiotic products as growth promoters was stopped over six years ago for all those antibiotic products known to contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in people.

New Zealand has taken a conservative and prudent position on the issue of antibiotic resistance. In a country so dependent upon our reputation as a producer of safe food, protecting our animal welfare and human health must be priorities. NZFSA is confident that the actions taken in regard to antibiotic resistance have us well positioned to continue to safeguard this reputation and public health.

Debbie Morris

NZFSA Director (Agricultural Compounds & Veterinary Medicines)