Minister admits use of farms drugs could be illegal

The way in which some drugs are being used on poultry farms could be illegal, according to Margaret Beckett, the Secretary of State for Agriculture who has written to the Soil Association about the issue. It is estimated by the Soil Association that the vast majority of the chicken sold in the UK may be affected.

Antibiotic growth promoters have been used for many years to help animals grow at unnaturally fast rates on intensive farms. However, most UK chicken producers very publicly agreed to discontinue their use three years ago, but have now quietly gone back to them in order to keep down costs. They claim they are needed to control disease, but using these drugs in this way is not permitted in the EU, since they have never been evaluated for safety as veterinary medicines.

The Soil Association has asked Mrs Beckett to take action and in a written reply she has accepted that current use 'could be illegal under EU legislation' and has 'asked officials to take this up'.

Antibiotic growth promoters are set to be banned in Europe in 2006, but corrected government figures show British producers are still heavily reliant on them. Sales have fallen by just 6% in four years – not 74% as previously claimed by the Government - while the use of other closely related drugs under veterinary prescription has gone up dramatically.

"It is very unfortunate that the intensive poultry industry is trying to deceive the public in this way and not preparing for the 2006 deadline," says Richard Young, the Soil Association's advisor on antibiotics. "We welcome Mrs Beckett's agreement to take action on the illegal use of growth promoters, but she has presided over a period of increased drug use on farms and it is clear that her department is not in control of the situation. The Government must provide a stronger lead on this issue and give farmers more guidance and support to switch to methods of rearing animals that allow drug use to be reduced."

Antibiotic growth promoters will be banned due to concern about antibiotic resistant superbugs passing from animals to humans. In 1999, Marks & Spencer and Tesco said that they would no longer buy chickens fed any antibiotic growth promoters. However, 85% of all chickens sold in the UK are reared under the Assured Chicken Production scheme - a Little Red Tractor farm assurance scheme which prohibited the use of antibiotic growth promoters in March 2000, but later reversed its decision.

Antibiotics are most widely used where chickens are kept in cramped and damp conditions, with no natural ventilation, where diseases spread rapidly.

Under organic standards, sick birds must be treated with appropriate veterinary medicine, but cannot be given drugs routinely, or to accelerate growth. Organic farmers aim to rear healthy chickens by ensuring they are kept free-range, have access to fresh pasture on a regular basis and by limiting the number of birds that can be housed in a single unit. All organic farms are inspected at least once a year to ensure that standards are maintained.

The Soil Association is seeking a meeting with Mrs Beckett to set out its concerns and make proposals for how she can begin to reverse the upward trend in drug use.