Case study no. 4Case study no. 4

Imported turkey meat with antibioticsImported turkey meat with antibiotics

2013-1-RO1-LEO05-28756

LLP-LdV/ TOI/ 2013/ RO/ 007

IntroductionIntroduction

A case study conducted in

Germany revealed the fact that almost all the turkey meat produced in this country contains

antibiotics.

Romania imports from

Germany more than 11.000 tons of turkey every year.

Johannes Remmel, the Customer Protection

specialist who conducted this case study, which

was the first study of this kind conducted in

Germany, declared that 95% of over 19 million

turkeys are injected with antibiotics.

According to German laws, antibiotics should be administered only to sick animals, and the authorities promised they would tighten up controls and pay more

attention to the medicine administered to animals.

A five-year project to reduce antibiotics administeredA five-year project to reduce antibiotics administered

The German Farmers Association initiated a project by which they intend to reduce by 30% the antibiotics administered to turkeys

over the next 5 years.

Producers administer large quantities of medicine to turkeys so they would grow as fast as possible and they would not get any

disease, with the aim of obtaining the largest profit.

Romania imports turkey meat from GermanyRomania imports turkey meat from Germany

Romania imports turkey meat from Germany. In 2011, for

example, there have already been imported about 11.000 tons.

The turkey meat necessary for local consumption is provided mostly by local

production.

This explains the fact that turkeys are imported in carcass from Holland and they are processed in Romania: the processed turkey breast returns

to Holland in packages.

Romanian producers do not use antibiotics, as a ruleRomanian producers do not use antibiotics, as a rule

Romanian turkey producers use antibiotics only following analyses performed by veterinary doctors, who recommend their administration based on the results of these analyses.

Antibiotics administering in our farms is done, if applicable, only under the surveillance of the Sanitary Veterinary Authority.

QuestionsQuestions

• How was it revealed that almost all the turkey meat produced in this country contains antibiotics?

• Under what conditions are antibiotics administered to turkeys in Germany?