New Steps to Phase-Out Antibiotic Overuse in Livestock
December 13, 2013
New government recommendations to phase out the routine use of some antibiotics in chickens, cows, and hogs raised for meat are being praised by some health experts as an important first step in addressing a major threat to public health. The voluntary guidelines, issued by the Food and Drug Administration, ask pharmaceutical companies to stop promoting the use of certain antibiotics used to treat human infections to make livestock grow bigger and faster. The antibiotics include penicillins and tetracyclines. Scientists have long believed that the overuse of low-dose antibiotics in healthy farm animals is endangering human health by fueling antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of microbes, especially certain bacteria, to overcome medications and other substances that might otherwise kill them or interfere with their growth.
Under guidelines, scheduled to go into effect over the next three years, farmers and ranchers will still be able to give their animals antibiotics to prevent and treat infections. However, approval from a veterinarian will be required first. Currently, livestock producers can purchase antibiotics over the counter from feed stores and other sources.
Since the 1970′s, many public health experts have argued against the systemic use of antibiotics in livestock. Studies have revealed that most of the antibiotics sold in the United States–up to an estimated 80 percent–are used in livestock, not for treating people with illness. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in September 2013 found that some 23,000 people in the United States die of drug-resistant infections yearly. “Resistant bacteria can contaminate the foods that come from those animals, and people who consume these foods can develop antibiotic-resistant infections. The use of antibiotics for promoting growth is not necessary and the practice should be phased out,” the report concluded.
Many health experts praised the new recommendations. “For those of us who’ve been struggling with this issue, this is the biggest step that’s been taken in 20 years,” Stuart Levy, a microbiologist at Tufts University and the president of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, told The New York Times. But others criticized the guidelines as inadequate. United States Representative Louise Slaughter (D., New York), said the recommendations fall “woefully short of what is needed to address a public health crisis.”
Additional World Book articles:
- Handwashing: The First Line of Defense Against Disease (a Special Report)
- The War on Superbugs (a Special Report)