Congress should pass proposed legislation that would strongly regulate what has become almost indiscriminate use of antibiotics in healthy chickens, pigs and cattle not to fight disease, but to promote the animals' growth. ...
Medical officials fear that widespread use of antibiotics in animals consumed by humans including many classes of the drugs considered important for fighting disease in people is contributing to the alarming rise of antibiotic-resistant infections. ...
The legislation would ban the use in animals of seven classes of antibiotics considered important to human health. And it would require that their use be restricted primarily to fighting actual diseases, along with selected preventive uses, and that they be used only under supervision of a veterinarian. ...
Opponents contend there isn't enough proof to link widespread use of antibiotics on animals to the increase in drug-resistant infections. It reminds us of the decades of arguments by tobacco companies against regulation of smoking.
And we understand the farm lobby's opposition to controlling use of antibiotics.
There's no question that it makes food cheaper, and boosts profits.
But while cheaper food is welcomed by consumers, it is not good public health policy to ignore the real costs of using powerful medicines to hold down costs when the associated health risk could cost those same consumers far more.NY Times Herald-Record
