Informant38

Independent UK 1 September 2003: "Pig farmers are ignoring European bans and potential risks to human health by increasing their use of antibiotics to force animals to grow unnaturally quickly, organic farmers allege.
The industry has *more than doubled* its use of the drugs since 1998, with breeders allegedly using a loophole which allows them to dose animals with antibiotics if the drugs are prescribed by a vet. But the *number of pigs in the UK has decreased by a third* since 1999. At that time, four antibiotics were banned in animal feed to reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria developing."