China’s agriculture authority today shut down poultry farms in an east province where the chickens were reported to have been given excessive amounts of antibiotics.
Last week, Chinese media reported that some poultry farmers in Shandong Province had given their chickens excessive amounts of antibiotics, including amantadine and ribavirin, to help them survive in overcrowded chicken farms, triggering nationwide concern about food safety. Bi Meijia, the chief economic engineer as well as the spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, said relevant poultry raisers and processors have been shut down and are under close investigation. The ministry attaches great importance to the case. The ministry has dispatched a group of experts to Shandong and ordered local authorities to properly handle the case, he said, adding results will be released to the media in time. Read More