As the nation was denouncing melamine, an online article titled "What Could Be More Terrifying Than Melamine: Antibiotics" quickly spread across the internet. The post denouncing antibiotics was published on her blog by Ms. Zhang Xiaomei, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, on September 14 of this year.
Zhang Xiaomei told reporters that during this year's "Two Sessions," she had submitted a proposal titled "Guard Against the Widespread Use of Antibiotics in Meat to Avoid a Catastrophic Disaster for Humanity." The Ministry of Agriculture responded to this proposal on August 22, stating that the state had already begun to manage this issue with strictness. However, what is the situation with antibiotic residues in dairy products? She made a preliminary inquiry and found that the state does not have mandatory standards for this. Reader: Please Test Dairy Products for Antibiotic Residues
Like Zhang Xiaomei, readers of this newspaper are also strongly calling on the government to test dairy products for antibiotic residues.
A reader calling himself "Laomu" said that cows often develop mastitis, and the frequent use of antibiotics for treatment makes them increasingly resistant to them, which in turn leads to higher dosage. If milk is taken from cows during their antibiotic treatment to make dairy products, it will inevitably contain large amounts of antibiotic residues, wouldn't that make people develop antibiotic resistance for no reason? A reader with a mobile phone number ending in 7788 said she is a pediatrician. In recent years, she has found it strange that some infants and young children who have never used antibiotics show no effect after using conventional antibiotics. Where does this drug resistance come from? For infants and young children who rely mainly on formula milk powder, the formula is a major suspect.
A reader with a mobile phone number ending in 6754 sent a text message saying, "If our next generation is consuming antibiotics with their milk powder from a young age, one day, people suffering from inflammation caused by ordinary bacterial infections will die because there will be no cure." Expert: The Harm of Antibiotic Residues is Not Small
Are antibiotic residues really that scary? A reporter interviewed Dr. Liu Qingqin, director of the pediatrics department at Zhengzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital.
Liu Qingqin said that long-term consumption of milk with antibiotic residues could lead to three major adverse consequences:
1. It can reduce or completely negate the therapeutic effect of antibiotic drugs.
2. Long-term residues of penicillin, tetracycline, and certain aminoglycoside antibiotics in milk can cause allergic reactions in people with certain allergies.
3. Antibiotic residues in milk can inhibit and kill the large number of normal flora in the body, disrupt the bacterial balance in the human intestine, reduce the body's immunity, and easily trigger infectious diseases. Investigation: Whether Milk Contains Antibiotics Depends Entirely on the Farmers' Self-Discipline
How do dairy farmers view antibiotic residues? A reporter interviewed several dairy farmers in the northern suburbs of Zhengzhou.
A farmer with the surname Liu told reporters that his superiors require that milk from cows being treated with medicine cannot be sold. Generally speaking, he does not milk the cows for 3 to 7 days after they have been medicated. When the reporter asked whether antibiotic residue tests are conducted when purchasing fresh milk, he said he was unclear. Other farmers gave similar responses.
A staff member from the Zhengzhou Animal Husbandry Bureau told reporters that the state does prohibit the misuse of antibiotics and other drugs in dairy cows, but it has not specified mandatory indicators for testing antibiotic residues in milk, and it lacks testing methods and a supervision system.
The "Non-Polluted Food Fresh Cow Milk Standard," which was officially implemented in October 2002, requires that "antibiotics shall not be detected" in fresh milk for hygiene purposes. However, this is only a recommended standard issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and is not mandatory. The "GB6914-86 Standard for the Purchase of Fresh Cow Milk" also does not list the absence of antibiotic residues as a mandatory standard. Therefore, it is not included in the supervision of the national quality inspection departments. An official from an infant formula milk powder production company told reporters that there is no mandatory testing for antibiotic residues in the purchase of fresh milk. Dilemma: Industry Standards Are Powerless, Calling for National Legislation
Professor Li Shengli, a famous dairy cow breeding expert at the College of Animal Science and Technology at China Agricultural University, pointed out that dairy cows are prone to mastitis, and many farmers use antibiotics and other drugs to treat them. After using antibiotics, dairy cows should have a withdrawal period of 3 to 7 days. The milk produced during this period should be discarded, but some people, for profit, allow this discarded milk to enter the market. Because general antibiotics can withstand high temperatures, existing processes cannot completely eliminate antibiotic residues from milk.
Currently, the only requirement for antibiotic residues in milk is the Ministry of Agriculture's "Non-Polluted Food Fresh Cow Milk Standard," which is an industry standard and lacks national mandatory force, relying entirely on the farmers' self-discipline. It only has universal mandatory force after being confirmed by the National Standardization Committee. Hope: The New Standard is Awaiting Approval and Publication
So, has the National Standardization Committee paid attention to this issue?
A reporter called the committee and learned that they are already aware of the severity of this problem. However, because the old "Standard for the Purchase of Fresh Cow Milk" (GB6914-86) did not include indicators for antibiotic residues, the standard-setting task force for the new version began research, drafting, verification, review, and submission in order starting from 2002. It is currently awaiting formal promulgation after approval by government departments.
It is understood that the new "Standard for the Purchase of Fresh Cow Milk" adds 11 new testing indicators and mandatorily lists "antibiotic residues" as a required test item, stipulating that antibiotics shall not be detected.
Puzzlingly, although the new "Standard for the Purchase of Fresh Cow Milk" has already been passed, it has not been officially published to this day, and the committee has not given a direct response to this.