FDA to consider limiting use of antibiotics in livestock

The Food and Drug Administration is considering guidelines that would limit the use of antibiotics in livestock.

The federal proposal introduced March 17 of 2009 and known as the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, seeks to “amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to preserve the effectiveness of medically important antibiotics used in the treatment of human and animal diseases,” as stated in the bill.

In short, the act seeks to control antibiotic resistance by banning their routine use on farm animals.

The guidelines would require farms to stop the use of low levels of antibiotics for faster animal growth and would also allow veterinarians to administer prescriptions of the medicine.

“In Tulare County alone, we’ve got a total value of $490 million worth of livestock,” Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner Marilyn Kinoshita said. Read More...