July 30, 2014

US court ruling allows FDA to decide antibiotic use in animal feed

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may continue to permit large-scale use of antibiotic in animal feed, according to a ruling by a federal appeals court on July 24.

Last week's decision is a reversal of a lower court ruling on a suit, filed by consumer advocacy groups, which had called on the FDA to hold hearings reviewing new scientific evidence on the regular use of antibiotics in livestock feed.

In a 2-1 ruling, the US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said that the FDA could reject two citizen petitions challenging the use of antibiotics such as penicillin and tetracyclines in feed for animals raised for human consumption, even when those animals are not sick.

Previously, a district court had ruled on behalf of the National Resources Defense Council, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and other groups which called for a ban on use of antibiotics on livestock that were not sick.

However, the federal appeals court states that it was up to the FDA's decision in dealing with the problem. "It is not for us to determine whether (the FDA) has been effective in its approach…", a majority opinion states.

Cattle, hog and poultry producers regularly give animals low doses of antibiotics to prevent illness and boost growth. However, doctors and scientists have warned about the emergence of superbugs -- new strains of bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotic -- and suspect that humans' repeated exposure to meat containing antibiotics may create such drug-resistant bacteria.

Last December, the agency called for drug companies to stop labelling antibiotics, suited for human health treatment, as acceptable for promoting growth in animals. The FDA said that new voluntary guidelines, which give companies three years to comply, would be faster and more efficient than making label changes mandatory.

By March 2014, 25 out of 26 such drug-makers agreed to follow the FDA's new guidelines. The companies included pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Bayer.