How are antibiotics used in animal agriculture and should we be concerned? With Lauren Mackenzie from Coles

Brian Daly interviews Lauren Mackenzie, Responsible Sourcing Manager for Agriculture at Coles.

Lauren’s interest in agriculture started from a young age when she reared her own cattle and became involved in all aspects of their care. Including their veterinary treatments, which gave her early exposure to how antibiotics are used in animal production. Fast forward to the present day and Lauren’s role at Coles covers a host of responsible sourcing initiatives, in which animal welfare plays a big role. Antibiotics are a necessary part of providing animals with a good quality of life, by means of treatment when they are sick. However, their use varies globally and some of the concerns Australian consumers have are related to whether antibiotics are in the products they eat, rather than how they are used in production.

Join us in this episode as we discuss with Lauren how antibiotics are used in Australia and what labelling terms such as ‘antibiotic free’ mean.

Key points:

• The reasons why antibiotics are used in animal production
• How antibiotics are used in Australian agriculture
• What labelling terms such as ‘antibiotic free’ mean

Further links:

https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-are-antimicrobials-and-why-are-they-used-in-livestock-production/