Gold Kist stops certain antibiotics use in chicken production

ATLANTA -Gold Kist Inc., the nation&#39;s second<br> largest chicken processor, today announced that it had discontinued its rare use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in the production of broiler chickens.<br> <br> President and Chief Executive Officer John Bekkers said fluoroquinolones had been used for therapeutic purposes in less than two-tenths of one percent of the number of broiler chickens it produced since July 2001.<br> <br> &#34;While science has shown no conclusive proof of any adverse connection between the use of fluoroquinolones in chickens and antibiotic resistance in humans, we are taking this action to assure our customers and consumers that Gold Kist Farms brand chicken is free of fluoroquinolones,&#34; Bekkers said.<br> <br>