Are antibiotics given to dairy cows?
Only when it’s necessary for farmers to treat sick cows, just as humans sometimes need medication when they are sick. If a cow is being treated with antibiotics, she is taken out of the milking herd and not put back into the herd until her milk tests free of antibiotics. Every tank load of milk entering dairy processing plants is strictly tested for animal drug residues. The U.S. dairy industry conducts more than 3.5 million tests each year to ensure that antibiotics are kept out of the milk supply. Any tanker that tests positive is disposed of immediately, never reaching the public.
