US poultry processor Pilgrim's Pride plans to remove all antibiotics from 25% of its chicken production by 2019.
The company, majority owned by Brazil-based meat giant JBS, has around 5% of its output that contains no antibiotics.
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"We have a plan, a very definitive plan, where by the end of 2018, something over 25% of all of our production will be antibiotic-free," Pilgrim's chief executive Bill Lovette told The Wall Street Journal.
Lovette said the company's plan was based on current contracts with existing customers.
Pilgrim's is one of a number of poultry processors in the US looking to reduce their use of antibiotics in their production, prompted by a rise in consumer demand.
The poultry industry's largest customers are also looking for processors to curb their use of antibiotics.
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Last month, McDonald's announced it would within the next two years only be sourcing "chicken raised without antibiotics that are important to human medicine". just-food understands Pilgrim's pledge to continue rearing antibiotic-free meat has not been sparked by McDonald's announcement.
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By GlobalData"We're seeing quite a big growth in antibiotic-free product," JBS CEO Wesley Batista told the WSJ. "As consumers and as the population is looking more for that, the industry needs to follow."
