US legislators work at reducing antibiotics use in animals

A bill now gaining momentum in the US Congress would curb the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production, protect animal health, and ensure the effectiveness of a small number of lifesaving antibiotics.

To date, 120 members of Congress have endorsed the bill, "The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA)." Nearly 300 stakeholder groups, including the American Medical Association, also support PAMTA.

The overuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry feed and water in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) contributes significantly to antibiotic resistance, in regions including Arkansas and Iowa.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a non-profit organisation, the problem is dangerous and unnecessary - modern agricultural systems can forgo non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics and still provide meat for American consumers without sacrificing human or animal health.

UCS estimates that livestock and poultry production accounts for about 70% of the antibiotics used in the US each year. CAFOs routinely feed such important human drugs as penicillin and tetracycline to pigs, cattle and chickens to promote growth and prevent diseases caused by overcrowded, stressful living conditions.

When bacteria are routinely exposed to antibiotics, they develop resistance to them and become "super bugs" that can move from animals to humans through food, air and water. Treating a patient infected by a super bug with an ineffective drug can lead to a more serious illness, and if none of the available antibiotics work, resistance becomes a matter of life and death.

According to UCS, the bill in Congress would help prevent the emergence of such super bugs by reducing antibiotic use in animal agriculture.