Use antibiotics in livestock judiciously says USDA's Chief Vet

Washington Ag Today July 20, 2010 Animal antibiotics used medically in livestock should be used more judiciously as a preventative measure against antibiotic resistance. That was the view of USDA Chief Veterinarian John Clifford and others testifying before a U.S. House Energy and Commerce panel last week.

Clifford: “USDA believes that it is likely that the use of anti-microbial in animal agriculture does lead to some cases of anti-microbial resistance in humans and in animals themselves. And we believe we must use medically important anti-microbial judiciously.”

Clifford said USDA believes policy decisions musts be science-based, must include research and must include partnerships with other federal agencies.

Clifford: “What constitutes judicious use and how it applies is the central question of this debate. This must be answered with a sound scientific evaluation and with data based decision making. USDA is working to conduct surveillance and research and a number of agencies in the department are actively engaged on projects to better understand the issues.”

Clifford was asked if antibiotics used as growth promoters in livestock should be considered as a non-judicious use.

Clifford: “There are anti-microbials that are used that have no analogue being used in human medicine and should not be of concern unless there is proven evidence to the human side.”

The Food and Drug Administration has recommended that antibiotic use in livestock should be judicious to alleviate concerns about antibiotic resistance in humans.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net.

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