Opinion

Antibiotics and Agriculture

June 29, 2010

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.

Read the full editorial Antibiotics and Agriculture on the New York Times's Web site.