Antibiotic Ban On Food Animals
Posted on 21. Jul, 2010 by LynThomas in Health
The argument concerning the overuse of antibiotics in food animals has raged since the early 2000s. Back in 2001 it was estimated that food animals received 20m pounds of antibiotics per year, compared to humans consuming only 3m pounds.
However, for more than 40 years, scientists have known that the large-scale use of antibiotics in healthy farm animals might be creating antibiotic-resistant bugs.
Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has finally admitted that the use of antibiotics in farm animal feed is contributing to the growing problem of deadly antibiotic resistance in America.
Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Principle Deputy Commissioner of the FDA, said in his testimony at a House Energy and Commerce subcomitte, that the overall weight of evidence supports the conclusion that using antibiotics for production purposes in livestock farming (as growth promoters and to prevent, rather than treat illness) is not in the interest of protecting and promoting public health.
Many experts believe the over use of antibiotics in food animals, are the reasons we are seeing more antibiotic resistant pathogens. Now U.S. lawmakers are looking to curb the use of antibiotics in raising livestock, a move that puts them at odds with agribusiness interests.
The new bill would prohibit seven types of antibiotics from being used indiscriminately in animal feed. The recently released FDA draft guidance also states that antibiotics should only be used when the animals are under the care of a veterinarian.
While the legislation is unlikely to become law this year, the bill already has 113 cosponsors and supporters have vowed to continue the fight.
During the FDA hearing, Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan cited salmonella studies which show that a steady diet of antibiotics yields antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can spread from livestock to humans.
The food industry’s counterargument is that tough restrictions could drive up farmers’ costs without improving public health.
“Before we go down a path that will have a devastating economic impact on our agriculture industry, we must assure science drives this debate,” said Rep. John Shimkus.”So far there’s nothing that links use in animals to a buildup of resistance in humans.”
NPPC president Sam Carney, an Iowa pork producer from Adair said “FDA didn’t present any science on which to base this call, yet it could have a tremendous negative impact on animal health and ultimately, the safety of food.”
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[...] The overuse of antibiotics in food animals is an argument that has raged since the early 2000s. In 2001 it was estimated that food animals received 20m pounds of antibiotics per year, compared to humans consuming only 3m pounds. Read how America is about to ban all but the use of 7 antibiotics in food animals… [...]