July 15, 2009
US to restrict use of antibiotics in livestock
The US government announced Monday (Jul 13) it would seek to ban many routine uses of antibiotics in livestock in order to curb the spread of dangerous bacteria in humans.
Feeding antibiotics to healthy livestock to promote rapid growth should stop, and farmers should no longer be able to use antibiotics in animals without the supervision of a veterinarian, said Dr Joshua Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs.
Both practices have led to developing bacteria that are immune to many treatments, he said.
The measure, proposed by Representative Louise Slaughter, would ban seven classes of antibiotics important to human health from being used in animals, and would restrict other antibiotics to therapeutic and some preventive uses.
The legislation is supported by groups such as the American Medical Association, but opposed by farm organisations. The opposition from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) makes the measure's passage unlikely, but supporters are hoping to include it in the legislation to improve the health care system.
As much as 70 percent of antibiotics used in the US are given to healthy livestock to encourage their growth or to prevent illnesses, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
