Lessons from the Danish Ban on Feed-Grade Antibiotics

In June of 2003, McDonald’s Corporation announced that it would prohibit its direct suppliers from using antibiotics that are important in human medicine as growth promotants in food animals after 2004. The company also created a purchasing preference for companies that work to minimize antibiotic use. This announcement, coupled with recent Food and Drug Administration guidance on the same issue, will put pressure on the US livestock industry to consider alternatives to feed-grade antibiotics. Denmark recently banned the use of feed-grade antibiotics in pork production and has been joined in this action by countries in the European Union (EU). The ban was implemented first at the finishing stage and then at the weaning stage. Denmark’s recent experiences with the withdrawal of antibiotics from feed can help us to better understand and anticipate the consequences of a similar action in the United States