USA Today recently reported that four of the nation’s largest poultry corporations—Tyson Foods, Gold Kist, Perdue Farms, and Foster Farms—have sharply cut back on their use of antibiotics in the feed of chickens that are not sick. Tyson officials said this reduction in nontherapeutic antibiotic use was made possible by improving animals’ living conditions and by breeding hardier chickens.

Antibiotics are commonly added to the feed and water of animals being raised for human consumption, a practice with serious consequences for our health. Bacteria that are constantly exposed to antibiotics develop resistance to these drugs. When humans get sick from resistant bacteria, the antibiotics prescribed will no longer work.

UCS applauds Tyson Foods, Gold Kist, Perdue Farms, and Foster Farms for taking this important step to protect human health by reducing their use of medically important antibiotics. Now we need your help to urge Pilgrim’s Pride, the nation’s #2 chicken producer, to adopt a similar plan to reduce unnecessary uses of antibiotics. Write to Pilgrim’s Pride today and urge the company to protect the health of its customers by reducing antibiotic use in chickens!

Source: http://ucsaction.org/campaign/1_27_0...omo%5fredjelly