Posted October 13, 2015
California
Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a bill that sets the strictest
government standards in the United States for the use of antibiotics in
livestock production, according to a Reuters article available here.
Ag Web also published an article available here,
U.S. News & World Report here
and Bloomberg here.
California
is known for its leadership on public health and environmental issues. This
move accompanies the growing concern that the overuse of these drugs is
contributing to rising numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as
"superbugs."
The U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 2 million
people in this country are infected with drug resistant bacteria each year and
that 23,000 die as a direct result.
Meat
producers will only be allowed to administer the drugs with the approval
of a veterinarian when animals are sick, or to prevent infections if
there's an "elevated risk." They cannot use the drugs "in a
regular pattern." The policy is more restrictive than the Food
and Drug Administration’s (FDA) national guidelines, which don't restrict
use for disease prevention, according to Ag
Web.
Small
cattle ranchers in rural areas may have a harder time getting medicine approved
by a veterinarian, said Justin Oldfield, vice president of government
relations at the California Cattlemen’s Association. He also rejected the
notion that the bill would force producers to drastically change their
practices and suggested advocates exaggerated how the use of drugs, according
to Bloomberg.
"We’re
not routinely feeding animals [antibiotics] all the time for disease
prevention," he said. "We care about antibiotic resistance, just like
everybody else does."
The
antibiotics are different from the growth hormones used by many food producers
that have drawn criticism and that some grocery stores and food chains have
phased out. Companies including McDonald's, Chipotle and Panera also have begun
promoting their chicken as raised without antibiotics, according to U.S.
News & World Report.
The
California Veterinary Medical Association expressed concern that veterinarians
might not be able to prescribe the drugs preventively to treat diseases for
which there is no test available to determine which animals are carriers.
The law,
which takes effect in 2018, also eliminates the availability of livestock
antibiotics for over-the-counter sales.
For more information on animal welfare, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
