Cattle in the Wood River Valley in Southern Oregon. The FDA will no longer allow antibotics to be used to aid in animal growth.
Amelia Templeton
The New York Times, CNN, and NPR are reporting that new regulations from the FDA will phase out the use of antibiotics to help farm animals gain weight.
The FDA explained its decision in a press release, saying the practice of feeding farm animals antibiotics poses risks to public health:
“Because all uses of antimicrobial drugs, in both humans and animals, contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, it is important to use these drugs only when medically necessary. Governments around the world consider antimicrobial-resistant bacteria a major threat to public health.”
The agency is moving certain antibiotics used on farms from over-the-counter status to a status that will require a veterinarian to oversee the use of the drugs.
NPR's Dan Charles recently reported that new farming techniques and hygiene can help prevent disease outbreaks and ensure pigs and other livestock bulk up without antibiotics, but farmers and veterinarians have resisted making changes.
According to the New York Times, some public health advocates are concerned that the FDA has left the door open to continued overuse of antibiotics on farms by allowing their use for disease prevention as well as treatment.
-- Amelia Templeton
