However, the report notes that the lack of stringent supervision in the agricultural sector must also be corrected.

Xiao Yonghong, a professor at the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology at Peking University and a member of the commission's rational drug use committee, echoed those concerns, saying that while the abuse of antibiotics has almost been eliminated at large hospitals in cities, a lack of surveillance data means it's difficult to assess the scale of the problem at grassroots-level clinics.

"Antibiotic abuse in animal farming is still widespread in China," Xiao said, adding that the country has no maximum residue limits for antibiotics detected in animal products, such as meat and milk.

Unscreened residue

"The antibiotic residue is not screened before animal products hit the market," Xiao said, pointing out that regulations on the correct use of antibiotics in animal feed are not enforced strictly enough.

Su Jiufu, a duck farmer in Pucheng county, Weinan city, in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, said he doesn't think there is a problem: "I often eat the meat and eggs of the ducks on my farm."

He generally sells his produce to grocery stores in the local township. "Storekeepers have never asked me about antibiotic use," he said.

As an experienced farmer, Su acknowledged that antibiotic use is relatively common at duck farms because the birds are prone to diseases.

The most commonly used antibiotics are Ciprofloxacin and Jinsaiwei, which are regularly added to the ducks' food, he said.

"That's not only for treatment, but prevention. Otherwise ducks can easily contract viral hepatitis, duck plague and fowl cholera, which spreads quickly, causing deaths and a loss of income for the farmers," he added.

Zeng Xiaoxiang, who owns a chicken farm in Meizhou, Guangdong province, sells about 100,000 fowls a year. She said white-feathered breeds of chickens commonly seen on market stalls need to be given antibiotics almost every day to treat and prevent diseases such as bronchitis and enteritidis, a type of salmonella.