Giving Antibiotics in Feed Risky but Rife at Broiler Farms

The breeders use antibiotics not for therapeutic or treatment purposes as intended, but in a bid to improve meat production by keeping their chickens healthy.

KOMPAS/FAJAR RAMADHAN

Workers harvest broiler chickens in one of the farm cages in Bogor Regency, West Java on Thursday (20/5/2021).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Broiler breeders liberally use antibiotics to prevent disease among their chicken flock. In actual fact, however, antibiotics should be used only to treat disease. Improper use has spurred the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

An investigation by Kompas, in collaboration with the World Animal Protection (WAP), the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), and the Center for Indonesian Veterinary Analytical Studies (CIVAS), discovered the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in broiler chicken meat.