Eat organic meat to help avoid ‘apocalypse’ caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs, warns England’s top doctor
- Dame Sally Davies warned Britain faced an ‘apocalypse’ if antibiotics don’t work
- She urged shoppers to pressure food firms into cutting the use of antibiotics
- Dame Sally told them they could do this by buying produce not exposed to drugs
Eating meat from animals reared under organic or high-welfare standards could help tackle the rise in antibiotic-resistant superbugs, England’s chief medical officer has claimed.
Dame Sally Davies warned Britain faced an ‘apocalypse’ if antibiotics failed to work any more, The Times reported.
She urged shoppers to pressure food firms into cutting antibiotic use by buying produce that was not exposed to drugs.
Dame Sally Davies warned Britain faced an ‘apocalypse’ if antibiotics failed to work any more, The Times reported
This includes choosing poultry or meat with the Red Tractor label, which certifies the quality of farm produce in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scottish and Scandinavian fish that has been vaccinated and not reared with antibiotics.
Worldwide, 700,000 people a year die of drug-resistant infections, but this could hit millions if antibiotics stop working.
She said: ‘I am eating less meat, and… I do try to make sure it is at least Red Tractor. I want animals reared with good welfare. That means very low antibiotic use.’
Antibiotics in the UK and Europe are routinely used to treat infections in livestock, dairy and fish farming. But overuse of antibiotics is a threat to human health because germs exposed to the drugs can become untreatable ‘superbugs’.
Speaking at the World Innovation Summit on Health in Doha, Qatar, she said: ‘Consumers have a terrific amount of influence on behaviours on farms.’