Editorial

Antibiotics and agriculture

FDA limits use of a critical drug in livestock

January 6, 2012

Publication: The Register-Guard

It's no secret that antibiotics in meat pose a serious threat to public health. The Food and Drug Administration finally acknowledged that reality in 2010, years after experts began warning that extensive use of antibiotics in livestock has resulted in the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.

But acknowledgment of a scientific reality and regulatory action are two different matters. That's especially true in the case of antibiotics and agriculture, with the nation's powerful livestock industry long insisting that the drugs are essential for keeping animals free of infectious diseases and promoting growth and weight gain while using less feed.

But calls for limiting animal antibiotics have grown stronger as evidence mounts that the drugs are endangering human health — and as consumers have become increasingly aware of the issue and have begun demanding antibiotic-free meat.

Federal drug regulators Wednesday announced new rules requiring farmers and ranchers to restrict their use of a critical class of antibiotics known as cephalosporins in cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys.

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Read the full article Antibiotics and Agriculture on The Register-Guard Web site.