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Comment by alkonaut | Hacker News Reader

1. Don't buy meat from anywhere where Antibiotics is used in healthy animals.

2. Vote to ban the practice.

There is no step 3.

3. Lobby for an effective ban in countries like China, where antibiotics are widely used (especially in aquaculture) and the law as written isn’t always enforced.

This is one of those border-hopping problems which, like CFC emissions, may require external pressure for some countries to address.

While I'm not suggesting not lobbying for an effective ban in China, this comment seems to make China out to be almost a sole offender. Antibiotics are widely used in most countries, particularly in the US, and even in Europe (despite the EU ban on usage for growth purposes). Their usage is increasing at scary rates in China, Brazil, etc., but that doesn't discount that it's still very high in western nations.

Agreed. This has improved recently in the EU: the EU law was given significantly more teeth less than a year ago (should be in force within 2 years now). Let's hope the EU will actually enforce it. The new law also bans imports to the EU, so if it's followed it's almost exactly what I'm asking for (ban of routine use + import ban). https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/25/european-par... (Law voted through 2018, with 3 years introduction. Hopefully use will decline before that to comply before it becomes law)

This needs to happen in the US as well. China is a big exporter so even if there is no domestic pressure, import bans should make a difference.

Yes, totally agreed. China was just top-of-mind after the recent news about CFC-detecting satellites, the publication of their results, and the authorities’ subsequent remedial action.

Who exactly is buying meat from China also? From my time in Vietnam the locals I knew shunned Chinese meat imports and recommended not buying it even though it was slightly cheaper, many simply don't trust it and there was a few scandals.

Easier: 1. Don't buy meat.

That's a quitter's attitude.

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