Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming

Editorial: Our view on food safety: To protect humans, curb antibiotic use in animals

Fri, 12 Jul 2010 20:28:00 GMT

Publication: USA Today

Antibiotics are modern wonder drugs, but their weakness is that they can gradually put themselves out of business. Use them too much, and some of the bugs they routinely control could mutate into resistant variants that require stronger or newer antibiotics to overcome.

This is an increasingly frightening problem. Estimates are that more than 90,000 hospital patients die every year from drug-resistant bacteria, and still more people die from "superbugs" they pick up outside hospitals. That's why doctors discourage patients from turning reflexively to antibiotics for every minor sniffle. Overuse can encourage the evolution of mutations that shrug off routine drugs such as penicillin or tetracycline and require exotic new antibiotics — or in some cases can't be killed at all.

But at least humans usually have to be sick and get a prescription from a doctor to obtain an antibiotic. Not so with pigs, chicken, cattle and other "food animals," which routinely get the drugs to make them grow faster and bigger and ward off diseases they might get from being crowded together in modern factory farms.

Read the full editorial Our view on food safety: To protect humans, curb antibiotic use in animals on the USA Today website.

Editorial: Antibiotics, meat a risky mix

Fri, 12 Jul 2010 20:05:00 GMT

Publication: Chattanooga Times Free Press

Federal regulators have tip-toed around the issue of antibiotics in the nation's meat supply for years. Despite considerable evidence that the use of the drugs in animals contributes to the creation and expansion of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that affect humans, the Food and Drug Administration has been slow to take a definitive stance on the issue. No more.

Recently, the FDA warned that widespread use of antibiotics in animals is "a serious threat to public health." Trouble is, the FDA action, while welcome, is unlikely to prompt change in the meat industry. The FDA recommends that producers reduce the use of the drugs -- especially those used in treating human illnesses -- in animals, but it provides little incentive for them to do so. There is no legal framework to control or ban their use. Without that, there's no certainty that the industry will adopt practices that arguably help safeguard public health.

Read the full editorial Antibiotics, meat a risky mix on Chattanooga Times Free Press website.

Editorial: Resistant to urgent action

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 16:22:00 GMT

Publication: The Everett Herald

Antibiotics, it’s what’s for dinner.

Antibiotics, the other white meat.

Antibiotics, it’s whatever the poultry industry’s slogan is.

As we wrap ourselves in anti-bacterial wipes, and at the same time wonder if perhaps we’ve oversantized ourselves into a potentially deadly cleanliness; as we watch fish warp before our eyes and wonder about everything we pour into our water, from pesticides to medicines; and as hospitals and communities battle outbreaks of fatal antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, which are traced to the overuse of antibiotics, Americans continue to eat beef, chicken and pork that is pumped full of ... antibiotics.

Calling drug overuse “an urgent health issue,” the FDA in June urged farmers to quit feeding animals antibiotics. If farmers don’t comply voluntarily, the FDA said, it will issue new regulations, the Washington Post reported.

This slow approach to “an urgent health issue” makes no sense.

Read the full editorial Resistant to urgent action on The Everett Herald website.

Editorial: Antibiotics and meat don't mix

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 16:17:00 GMT

Publication: Los Angeles Times

For the American public's health, it's time for the meat industry to stop administering the drugs preventively but only to animals already ill.

With its blunt warning that antibiotics in meat "pose a serious threat to public health," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally acknowledged what many scientists have been saying for a long time. For years, evidence has been mounting that extensive use of antibiotics in livestock, particularly to promote growth or prevent the spread of disease in crowded pens, has resulted in the development of drug-resistant bacteria.

The issue is not that the meat itself is infected or that consumers are ingesting antibiotics with their protein, but that the overuse of antibiotics is diminishing the efficacy of crucial medications needed for human use. Estimates are that 70,000 Americans each year die from infections that once could be treated with common medications. The European Union has banned the use of antibiotics in livestock except to treat illness, but similar efforts in the United States have stalled in Congress.

Read the full editorial Antibiotics and meat don't mix on the Los Angeles Times website.

Editorial: Antibiotic Idiocy

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 16:14:00 GMT

Publication: Bangor Daily News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it is getting serious about the threat routine use of antibiotics in livestock poses to human health. The seriousness includes asking farmers and the food industry to stop the practice voluntarily. Since it has been asking this for more than two decades, this hardly counts as a serious response to a real problem.

Last week, Joshua M. Sharfstein, the FDA's principal deputy commissioner, said antibiotics should be used only to protect the health of an animal. Antibiotics are routinely given to livestock, primarily cows and pigs, to help them grow.

“This is an urgent public health issue,” Mr. Sharfstein said in a conference call with reporters. “To preserve [their] effectiveness, we simply must use them as judiciously as possible.”

Read the full editorial Antibiotic Idiocy on the Bangor Daily News website.

Editorial: Antibiotics and Agriculture

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 20:17:00 GMT

Publication: New York Times

The Food and Drug Administration is taking some long overdue but still too timid steps to rein in excessive use of antibiotics in American agriculture. For years now industrial and many smaller-scale farmers have routinely fed antibiotics to their cattle, pigs and chickens to protect them from infectious diseases but also to spur growth and weight gain while using less feed. That may be good for agricultural production, but it is almost surely bad for the public’s health.

In Washington today, a House subcommittee will begin hearings on the growing danger of antibiotic resistance. It will hear testimony on a range of causes, including the overuse of antibiotics by doctors and the failure of patients to use antibiotics properly.

Read the full editorial Antibiotics and Agriculture on The New York Times website.

Editorial: Ban Antibiotics for Healthy Food Animals

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:14:00 GMT

Publication: Chicago Sun-Times

Last year, an estimated 65,000 people in the U.S. were killed by drug-resistant infections—almost the number of people who succumbed to breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

Antibiotics are becoming frightfully less effective in treating a host of potentially fatal diseases, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, staph infections and gonorrhea. The World Health Organization calls antibiotic resistance a "leading threat" to human health.

The cause, scientists agree, is the rampant overuse and misuse of antibiotics inside and outside of medicine. And the only solution, they say, is to reverse that trend by dramatically limiting the use of antibiotics.

In Washington today, a House subcommittee will begin hearings on the growing danger of antibiotic resistance. It will hear testimony on a range of causes, including the overuse of antibiotics by doctors and the failure of patients to use antibiotics properly.

Tell the FDA: Protect Human and Animal Health by Saving Antibiotics

Tue 22 Jun 2010 20:41:00 GMT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a rule that could weaken already-lenient controls on the use of antibiotics in food animal production.

The new rule affects the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), a program allowing veterinarians to prescribe antibiotics mixed into animal feed in new ways. Currently, the VFD ensures that for those new antibiotic uses a diagnosis is made before animals are given antibiotics in their feed.

Many industrial farms routinely feed antibiotics to poultry or livestock to compensate for overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, while promoting growth. Proposed changes to the VFD could weaken oversight that prevents unnecessary drug use - increasing the rate of antibiotic resistance in humans.

Up to 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are fed to healthy food animals. Weakening the VFD could breed dangerous new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread to humans thus making these important drugs we depend on useless.

Tell the FDA to protect human and animal health by rejecting this rule and saving antibiotics.

Legislators Ask USDA to Up Antibiotics Monitoring

Tue 22 Jun 2010 20:35:00 GMT

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand efforts to gather data on antibiotic use in agriculture and take steps to reduce usage.

"We believe that the USDA has the opportunity and resources to take additional steps to reduce inappropriate usage of antibiotics on farms," reads the letter. "The lack of data regarding agricultural usage of antibiotics makes it impossible to assess whether or not current usage is either prudent or responsible."

...

The letter also requests that the agency establish formal guidance on antibiotic use for veterinarians and utilize extension agents to educate farmers on techniques to reduce drug usage.

"It's asking the USDA to unite in the fight to save antibiotics," said Laura Rogers, project manager for the Pew Charitable Trusts' Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. Rogers believes there could be better interagency coordination to monitor overall usage, explaining that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) coordinate with USDA in NARMS, but there is still no agency focused on overall use on the farm.

"No one is required to monitor how, when, and for what purpose these drugs are used," said Rogers. "You can walk into a feed store and buy a bag of feed with tetracylcine in it. Who's keeping track of that? No one."

Read the full article Legislators Ask USDA to Up Antibiotics Monitoring on the Food Safety News website.

Capitol Hill Briefing: Alternatives to Routine Antibiotic Use in Food Animals

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:26:00 GMT

In collaboration with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Louise Slaughter

What: Talk with Bill Niman, founder of Niman Ranch; Steve Ells, co-CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill; and other successful livestock producers and businesspeople who sustain profitable ventures based on antibiotic-free meat production.

When: Tuesday, March 2, 11:30 am - 1 pm

Where: Room 124, Dirksen Senate Building, Washington, DC

RSVP: Shannon Heyck-Williams, 202-887-8801

View the invitation

Katie Couric Interviews Former FDA Commissioner and "Fast Food Nation" Author

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:25:00 GMT

Following up on the CBS Evening News two part series documenting the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production, Katie Couric interviews Dr. David Kessler, former FDA commissioner, and Eric Schlosser, "Fast Food Nation" author.

Watch the interviewl

CBS Evening News Reports on Antibiotic Use in Food Animal Production

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:19:00 GMT

On Tuesday, February 9, and Wednesday, February 10, CBS Evening News reports on the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production. The piece features excerpts from an interview between Katie Couric and Shelley Hearne, managing director of the Pew Health Group.

Watch the video

When Drugs Stop Working

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:49:00 GMT

In a five-part series, "When Drugs Stop Working," the Associated Press explores the global issue of drug resistance focusing on how the crisis was created and efforts currently employed to help save the effectiveness of our critical medicines.

The series documents the alarming rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the associated global health crisis - traveling from the U.S. farmbelt to HIV clinics in South Africa.

Read the whole series.

Resources from Capitol Hill Briefing

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:23:00 GMT

On December 17, 2009, Pew hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill in collaboration with Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Leading experts discussed the public health and sociological effects of industrial farm animal production for farm workers and rural communities.

Find out more, view the presentations.

Editorial: Drug Fiends

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 05:05:00 GMT

Publication: The News & Observer

One of the profound blessings in the age of modern medicine is that, when infection sets in, doctors can draw upon an array of antibiotics to knock the germs for a loop. Just imagine how it would have been for our ancestors, for whom a simple cut or bad tooth could mean "blood poisoning" and death.

The assumption has been that those times are gone for good. But medical scientists warn of what could become a grim reprise of sorts. They say that heavy reliance on antibiotics, especially in the mass production of farm animals, could result in those drugs losing their potency to combat infections among people.

The Associated Press quoted Duke University's Dr. Vance Fowler, an infectious disease specialist, on the threat from antibiotics overuse: "This is a living, breathing problem; it's the big bad wolf, and it's knocking at our door." Precautions, it seems, are much in order.

Article: Pressure Rises to Stop Antibiotics in Agriculture

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Publication: Business Week

The mystery started the day farmer Russ Kremer got between a jealous boar and a sow in heat.

The boar gored Kremer in the knee with a razor-sharp tusk. The burly pig farmer shrugged it off, figuring: "You pour the blood out of your boot and go on."

But Kremer's red-hot leg ballooned to double its size. A strep infection spread, threatening his life and baffling doctors. Two months of multiple antibiotics did virtually nothing.

...

Laura Rogers, who directs the Pew Charitable Trusts Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming in Washington D.C., says the federal government, from Congress to the administration, has failed to protect the public.

"Because of poor regulations and oversight of drug use in industrial farm animals, consumers in the U.S. do not know what their food is treated with, or how often," she said. "Nor is there a system in place to test meat for dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria."

Capitol Hill Briefing: Industrial Animal Farms and Worker Health and Safety

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:25:00 GMT

Attend an upcoming Capitol Hill briefing in collaboration with Rep. Raul M. Grijalva where leading experts will discuss the public health and sociological effects of industrial farm animal production for farm workers and rural communities.

Details

What: Leading experts discuss the public health and sociological effects of industrial farm animal production for farm workers and rural communities.

When: Thursday, December 17, 10 am - 11:30 am

Where: HC-8, US Capitol, Washington, DC (photo ID required)

Avoiding Antibiotic Resistance: Denmark's Ban on Growth Promoting Antibiotics in Food Animals

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:15:00 GMT

In human medicine, antibiotic use is generally confined to treatment of illness. However, antibiotics and other antimicrobials (drugs that kill microorganisms like bacteria) on industrial farms are used not only to treat disease in individual animals. But they also are given to entire herds or flocks at continual low doses to compensate for overcrowded, stressful and unsanitary conditions, and to promote weight gain.

Bacteria exposed to antibiotics at low doses for prolonged periods can develop antibiotic resistance — a dangerous trait enabling bacteria to survive and grow instead of being inhibited or destroyed by therapeutic doses of a drug. Since many classes of antibiotic used in food animals also are important in human medicine, resistance that begins on the farm can lead to a serious public health problem.

Recognizing the potential for a health crisis, Denmark stopped the administration of antibiotics used for growth promotion (i.e., non-medical uses) in cattle, broiler chickens and swine in 1999. All uses of antibiotics in food animals must be accompanied by a prescription in a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship, and veterinarians cannot profit from the sale of antibiotics. In addition, farmers, veterinarians and pharmacies must report the use and sale of antibiotics, and farm inspections are conducted regularly.

Although the U.S. food animal production and animal drug industries often have claimed that the Danish ban was costly and ineffective, the World Health Organization found that the ban reduced human health risk without significantly harming animal health or farmers' incomes. In fact, Danish government and industry data show that livestock and poultry production has increased since the ban, while antibiotic resistance has declined on farms and in meat.

Visit http://www.saveantibiotics.org/denmark.html to find out more.