700’000 Deaths per year antibiotics: investors put pressure on McDonald’s & Co, About 80 percent of antibiotics are used in breeding industrial animals. This also harms the consumer. Now there are the first successes in the fight against the global Problem.Holger Alich7 Kommentare7Schweinezucht in Chile: the animals are not sick, feed, the breeder often, as a precaution, antibiotics. This increases the risk that the funds lose their effect. Photo: Tomas Munita (Keystone)
The corona virus has triggered a pandemic that has cost, according to the Johns Hopkins University so far, about 434 000 people life. In order to curb the Virus, were Lockdown imposed measures, with an unprecedented slump in the world economy.
Amazing little happened in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Every year die worldwide, around 700’000 people to the impact that antibiotics, as a British government report has found. In Europe alone there are, according to EU authorities about 33’000 Deaths per year in Switzerland, around 300.
The Problem is known for a long time: antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections, are often used. This resistance is formed, bacteria can be by means such as Penicillin no longer stop. According to the world health organization, approximately 80 percent of all antibiotics are used in animal breeding. And the Consumer absorbs when eating the meat the antibiotic at the same time.
The Switzerland in addition to Germany, one of the world’s strictest rules: As, antibiotics to increase performance are prohibited since 1999. Also in the international comparison of antibiotics in Switzerland in animal husbandry, the relatively moderate use.
But the Problem is unsolved: China, the USA, Brazil and India are for 75 percent of the world’s antibiotic consumption. Thus, the mass animal farming is profitable, not to be administered to healthy chickens, pigs and cattle as a precautionary antibiotics so that the animals are sick and so not the inventory, infect.
The health authorities to get in the fight against antibiotic resistance a powerful ally: the International big investors. Fund providers such as Amundi, Fidelity, and the address in Switzerland, UBS and Pictet have joined the FAIRR Initiative. You, as shareholders in the agricultural corporations and large restaurant operators like McDonald’s that your dealing with the vital antibiotics more responsible.
“the goal is that the major food producers in the United States, South America and Asia change their behavior.”
Catherine McCabe, an analyst in the Fund’s investor BMO Global Asset Management
“the goal is that the major food producers in the United States, South America and Asia change their behavior,” says Catherine McCabe, who serves as analyst to the Fund investor, BMO Global Asset Management. “Unlike climate change, but there is no consensus among the big investors that there is in the case of this topic, the pressure to act.”
At a FAIRR initiated campaign against antibiotic abuse, with at least 74 investment companies, a total of around 5 trillion dollars to manage. With 20 major food companies in contact, to dissuade you, for example, regular non-sick animals of antibiotics to administer. This also happens on resolutions at General meetings.
The pressure seems to show effect In the year 2016, a large meat producer had a clear antibiotic policy. Now there are all the 20 companies, which has the FAIRR in the visor.
Thus, Sanderson Farms, the largest poultry producer in the United States, has announced that it will, at least, as the critical classified antibiotics in its farming will not use any longer. As a first step. “Zero antibiotics is not an appropriate response,” says BMO’s expert, McCabe, “but they should be used only when an animal is sick and the use is monitored.”
progress in the food industry
The fast-food restaurant giant McDonald’s has in the year 2017, a new antibiotics policy. It provides, for example, that the routine is not allowed to regular preventive use of antibiotics among its meat suppliers. For the procurement of beef, a monitoring program is currently running in the ten main markets of Reference, in order to quantify the meat suppliers and the use of antibiotics. By the end of this year, McDonald wants to set the’s, then the reduction targets per market and 2022 publicly on the achievement of the goal reports. According to the media group’s headquarters in the USA, the Restaurant giant, as yet, of any of its meat suppliers due to violations in the antibiotic policy.
“In the food industry, we have observed in the past two years of progress,” explains UBS. In the investment policy, the Bank would overweight the stocks of those companies that come with adapting to a more sustainable future is a better way.
meat producer Bell in “high-risk”Index
in addition to the campaign, which is aimed specifically at a reduction of antibiotic use, the FAIRR Initiative also developed a “Protein Producer Index”: This is based on a total of nine risk categories, to resistance which, in addition to antibiotics-even points, such as climate protection, working conditions, water and land consumption, and animal welfare count. The Geneva-based private Bank company disclaims Pictet from their investment universe, which are guided in this Index, under “high-risk”.
This is the example of the Swiss meat producer Bell of the case. “The company publishes no information in relation to the use of antibiotics or over its policy on the use of antibiotics,” says a FAIRR-speaker classification.
Bell stated in the question with the FAIRR-to have Initiative, “so far no contact” had. “For our contract producers in the poultry sector, the Monitoring is in use”, replies the company. “In our slaughterhouses, we carry out residue analyses.” Further information will follow in the new sustainability report.
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