F.D.A. to Phase Out Use of Some Antibiotics in Animals Raised for Meat.
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Source: nyt
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it was beginning to phase out the use of some critical antibiotics in animals raised for meat, a major policy shift that could have far-reaching implications for industrial farming and human health.
The change, which will take effect over the next three years, is the first serious attempt by the federal government to curb the broad use of antibiotics in farm animals in decades. Pressure for action has mounted as the effectiveness of drugs important for human health has declined, and deaths from bugs resistant to antibiotics have soared. Food producers said they will abide by the new rules, but some public health advocates voiced concerns that loopholes could render the new policy toothless.
“This is the first significant step in dealing with this important public health concern in twenty years,” said David Kessler, a former F.D.A. commissioner who has been critical of the agency’s track record on antibiotics. “No one should underestimate how big a lift this has been in changing widespread and long entrenched industry practices.”
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/health/fda-to-phase-out-use-of-some-antibiotics-in-animals-raised-for-meat.html?hp
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Saving Antibiotics
What You Need to Know About Antibiotics Abuse on Farms
BY THE NUMBERS
80 percent of antibacterial drugs (about 29 million pounds) are sold for use in livestock in the United States and the vast majority are used on animals that are not sick.
In 2010, almost 52 percent of retail chicken breasts tested by FDA were contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E. coli.
According to a National Research Council estimate, eliminating all non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock would cost grocery shoppers less than $1.25 per month per person in today's dollars.
Just one type of superbug, MRSA, kills about 19,000 Americans annually, more than HIV/AIDS.
Antibiotic resistant infections in the US are estimated to lead to up to $26 billion in additional healthcare costs annually.
MORE.
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NRDC sues FDA for failing (again) to disclose information about antibiotic resistance
Posted June 6, 2013
Avinash Kar’s Blog
NRDC filed a lawsuit late last week against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for once again failing to respond in a timely manner to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information, this time about antibiotic-resistant bacteria on meat and how antibiotics are used on livestock and poultry. The public health crisis of antibiotic resistance is reaching alarming proportions, and the public and the scientific community deserve the best available information to better understand resistance trends, monitor risky practices, target solutions, and track progress in reducing livestock antibiotic use.
FDA has utterly failed to respond to the information request despite repeated attempts to follow up. This failure is the latest in a line of failures to adhere to the requirements of FOIA. NRDC itself has filed several recent FOIA lawsuits against FDA, including on failure to disclose other information related to antibiotics.
NRDC filed this request in November last year, seeking information on the volume of antibiotics used in livestock as well the data underlying reports on the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat.
FDA collects data about antimicrobial resistance of foodborne bacteria in retail meat through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS); however, they only report a summary, and the data upon which these reports are based is not publicly available. NRDC sought the raw data underlying the reports, and FDA has failed to respond at all.
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