Re:Tasty Seaweed Reduces Cows’ Methane Emissions by 99%
by jakobegger on Friday August 16, 2019 @04:15AM
(#20713126)
> Antibiotics in farming is used in order to keep animals in a environment where if it wasn't for the antibiotics they would get sick.
I'm not sure that is entirely accurate. Prophylactic treatment to avoid diseases is one reason for antibiotic usage, but more growth promotion is a much bigger factor.
The main reason that cattle are fed antibiotics is that a low dose of antibiotics makes them grow faster.
This use has been outlawed in the EU, but according to [1] antibiotic use for other reasons has increased since then, so it sounds like farmers only claim to use antibiotics against diseases, when they are actually only interested in the growth advantages.
Re:Tasty Seaweed Reduces Cows’ Methane Emissions by 99%
by cgh on Friday August 16, 2019 @12:40PM
(#20716934)
Beef cattle only spend the last few weeks of their lives on feedlots. Otherwise, they are grazing. You should visit a working ranch/farm sometime.
Re:Tasty Seaweed Reduces Cows’ Methane Emissions by 99%
by Hnrobert42 on Friday August 16, 2019 @03:17AM
(#20712858)
I thought it was also because corn-based diets increases likelihood of stomach ulcers in cows. The antibiotics fight the h.pylori bacteria which causes the ulcers.
Factory farms, or concentrated animal feeding operation as it are sometimes called, are crowded and stressful for the animal. Hygiene, temperature and ventilation are often bad. In combination this create a environment where sickness is rampant and currently antibiotics is the primary tool to keeps it functioning enough to be profitable. Seaweed is extremely unlikely to replace antibiotics in those kind of operations.