Tyson Foods promises to eliminate use of antibiotics from chicken flocks by 2017

US-based producer of chicken, beef, pork and prepared foods, Tyson Foods, has announced that it will stop the use of human antibiotics on its US broiler chicken flocks by the end of September 2017.

The move comes in the wake of a call by the livestock and food industries to minimisethe use of antibiotics crucial to human health in the production of meat.

The company will also get together with farmers and others in the company’s beef, pork and turkey supply chains to form groups that will explore ways of reducing the use of human antibiotics on cattle, hog and turkey farms.

Tyson said in a statement that it has brought down the percentage of human antibiotics used to treat broiler chickens by almost 80% since 2011, and has stopped using all antibiotics in its 35 broiler hatcheries.

President and CEO of Tyson Foods Donnie Smith said: "Antibiotic resistant infections are a global health concern.

"We’re confident our meat and poultry products are safe, but want to do our part to responsibly reduce human antibiotics on the farm so these medicines can continue working when they’re needed to treat illness."

Tyson also plans to initiate research with food industry, government, veterinary, public health and academic communities to find preventions for diseases and alternatives for antibiotics on farms.

"Given the progress we’ve already made reducing antibiotics in our broilers, we believe it’s realistic to shoot for zero by the end of our 2017 fiscal year. But we won’t jeopardize animal well-being just to get there. We’ll use the best available treatments to keep our chickens healthy, under veterinary supervision," Smith added.

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Image: Tyson is aiming at completely eliminating the use of antibiotics in broiler chickens by 2017. Photo: courtesy of Tyson Foods.