Tyson says it's reducing use of certain antibiotic in chickens

SPRINGDALE, Ark. - Tyson Foods said it&#39;s ending use of a certain antibiotic in its broiler chickens. <br> <br> The federal government wants to ban Baytril use in poultry because of evidence that the drug&#39;s use in chicken causes people to get sick from drug-resistant bacteria. <br> <br> Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson said use of Baytril&#39;s fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics was already minimal. Last year, the company said, fluoroquinolones were used in less than two-tenths of one percent of the 2.1 billion broiler chickens it produced for human consumption. <br> <br> While some fluoroquinolones are sold to treat animals, others are used to treat thousands of Americans who get food poisoning from campylobacter, bacteria found mostly in chicken. <br> <br> Tyson could simply switch to another antibiotic when needed for sick birds in flocks meant for human consumption. Tyson also did not commit to ending use of fluoroquinolones in its breeding flocks. <br> <br> &#34;Continued improvements in animal husbandry and increased bio-security measures have enabled us to reduce the use of antibiotics in recent years,&#34; said Patrick Pilkington, Tyson&#39;s vice president of live production services. <br> <br> Springdale-based Tyson became the world&#39;s largest meat company last year after its acquisition of beef packing giant IBP Inc. <br> <br> <br>