Antibiotika, Agrarwirtschaft und Politik in Deutschland im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert

The use of antibiotics in agricultural production has been a major topic in Germany, especially in the context of the so-called agricultural turn (‘Agrarwende’) of 2001, which was a reaction to the BSE crisis. Starting from the introduction of antibiotics in veterinary medicine in the 1940s, the paper traces the career of antibiotics in farming and the related discussions. Although the phenomenon of increasing figures of resistant bacteria was hotly discussed, only little action was taken. The paper describes the attempts to regulate the market and to reduce the use of antibiotics, which failed to contain the constant increase of antibiotics and the development of a lively grey and black market. It further examines the political, economic and cultural factors that have impeded a significant shift in policy.