Bacteria found in chicken meat in Germany

Environmentalists in Germany say fresh chicken meat sold in five cities was found to be contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Researchers from the group Bund (Friends of the Earth Germany) said chicken bought at supermarkets in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Nuremberg and Stuttgart tested positive for two forms of resistant bacteria, ESBl and MRSA, thelocal.de reported Monday. Both can be fatal for people vulnerable to infections and are resistant to the most widely used antibiotics, the group said. The over-use of antibiotics in farming poses a danger to human health, it said. "The extent of the contamination of foodstuffs with hospital germs is a clear warning signal of the collateral damage of industrial animal farming," Bund Chairman Hubert Weiger said. Keeping large numbers of animals in limited space -- intensive farming -- is only possible with the use of antibiotics, Weiger said, and he called for Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner to limit or even ban industrial animal farming. Aigner said Monday she intended to introduce a bill that would drastically reduce the use of antibiotics in the industry.