April May 2011
From the Soil Association's summary of points to oppose the planning application for mega pig farmshttp://www.soilassociation.org/Takeaction/Notinmybanger/Supportourappeal/tabid/1272/Default.aspx
- pig farming accounts for approximately 60% of all UK farm antibiotic use
- research shows that the levels of disease and the use of antibiotics both increase as pig farms get bigger
- larger herd size is linked with higher levels of many diseases in pigs, including some that can cause illness in people
- for certain bacteria, such as salmonella and campylobacter, most of the antibiotic resistance in human infections comes from farm-animal antibiotic use
- resistance to antibiotics can transfer between both animals and humans and this occurs more frequently, and with far greater ease, than was previously believed
- a number of very serious new types of antibiotic resistance have developed in recent years and several of these are increasing in farm animals
- C. difficile ‘superbug’ bacteria which has been found in hospitals is a growing problem in pigs worldwide, and the latest research shows that at least one strain of the pathogen is now present in British pigs
- there is growing evidence that C. difficile may be spreading from pig farms to humans through the environment
- there is concern about the risk of Pig MRSA spreading to the UK; it is now well established that people working with MRSA positive pigs, such as farmers, veterinarians, and even their family members, are at risk of colonisation and infection - there have also been a number of very serious cases and deaths
- there are real concerns that unless antibiotics are used much more sparingly we will soon find ourselves facing a range of serious diseases in humans and animals that can no longer be treated effectively.
Objections to the mega pig production unit at Foston may be made on this page - before May 13th 2011: http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/environment/planning/planning_applications/current_applications/09231.asp?AppCode=CW9/0311/174