Nick Ball says putting antibiotics in poultry is “putting bandaids over bulletholes.”

The Clermont farmer — a manager at Wauka Meadows Farm — doesn’t give antibiotics to his chickens and takes what he feels is a “back to basics” approach to livestock farming in order to harvest healthier meat.

While widespread motivation may or may not align with the local farmer’s ideas, the recent trend toward eliminating antibiotics in chicken has gained much traction. Even corporations as big as McDonald’s and Tyson are moving away from use of the antimicrobials.

Used to treat infection and also to promote growth and improve feed efficiency, antibiotics have come under fire of late with growing concerns that rampant use in animals causes antibiotics to be less effective when used for treatment of human sickness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotics “must be used judiciously in humans and animals because both uses contribute to the emergence, persistence, and spread of resistant bacteria … for example, resistant bacteria may be transmitted to humans through the food we eat.”

Tom Hensley, president of Fieldale Farms in Baldwin, says his corporation does not use antibiotics “at all.”

“We are the largest producer of antibiotic-free chicken,” Hensley said.

He added that only in the case of a flock becoming ill will the company use antibiotics, and then “we make sure those chickens are kept separate.”

In a recent statement, McDonald’s declared its stance on antimicrobial use. It stated: “McDonald’s has been working closely with farmers for years to reduce the use of antibiotics in our supply, thus we are able to commit today to stop using antibiotics important to human medicine in chicken production for McDonald’s USA by March 2017.”

Tyson Foods, the country’s biggest poultry producer, also recently announced plans to stop feeding chickens any antibiotics used in the treatment of human sickness.

In an April 28 statement, Tyson officials said they are “striving to eliminate the use of human antibiotics from U.S. broiler chicken flocks by the end of September 2017.”

“Antibiotic-resistant infections are a global health concern,” said Donnie Smith, president and CEO of Tyson Foods. “We’re confident our meat and poultry products are safe, but want to do our part to responsibly reduce human antibiotics on the farm so these medicines can continue working when they’re needed to treat illness.”

Hensley said global giants like McDonald’s and Tyson are also taking this position for the same reason Fieldale has for many years: “The consumers have demanded it. People want to eat chicken that has not been fed antibiotics.”