Straw in manure breaks down antibiotics

The addition of straw to manure helps to break down antibiotic residues that are excreted by the animals and are still present in the faeces. This is the conclusion of a study done by ARS, part of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

For the study, a scientist from the Technical University in Istanbul, Turkey and US scientists teamed up to look at the levels of oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline in faeces samples of chickens.

It was shown that the antibiotic concentrations are reduces when the manure is mixed with straw. This is because the addition of straw brings more air to the manure, which speeds up the composting process.

Additional research showed that antibiotics and hormones are present in different places near intensive farms.

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