On December 8, 2010, the International Herald Leader, a newspaper under Xinhua News Agency, published a report titled “The Alarming Misuse of Antibiotics in China’s Animal Agriculture.” The report included results from a survey conducted by Professor Xiao Yonghong and others from the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Peking University. The survey found that “China produces about 210,000 tons of antibiotics annually, 97,000 tons of which are used in animal agriculture. Other experts estimate that over half of the antibiotics produced annually in China may be used on animals.”
A Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ investigation revealed that “not only are expired antibiotics, which have serious side effects, over-used, but some new antibiotics, which are still in the trial stage for use on humans, are also used in fish breeding and on livestock. Many animals have died from overdoses of drugs instead of from diseases. ”
Source: International Herald Leader, December 8, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-12/08/c_13639958.htm