Taking Issue

Thursday Oct 24th, 2013 28 Views Line on Agriculture

Taking Issue. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

The Animal Ag Alliance is taking issue with a new analysis from the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future that says the Administration and Congress have not done enough to remedy the public health, environmental, animal welfare and rural community problems created by the industrial food animal production system. Former USDA Under Secretary, Food Safety and Inspection, Dr. Richard Raymond says the information that is being oftentimes spread is wrong.

RAYMOND: The numbers of 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are used in animals is inflammatory and does not represent the true issue but also the statement to say all antibiotics we prescribed under the supervision of veterinarians is equally wrong. The numbers that I use are 40% of all antibiotics - and these are facts I can support - 40% of all antibiotics used in animals are antibiotics such as ionophors which have never been approved for use in human medicine.

Raymond says 42% are oxytetracycline and chorotetracycline.

RAYMOND: Oxy and chorotetracycline have not been prescribed by any reputable healthcare professional in the United States in the last 30 years. If they have been it’s been as an extremely poor third or fourth choice for limited diseases such as Lyme’s Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. They are not important antibiotics in the armament of any healthcare professional. That leaves 18%.

He stresses that our system provides good, safe food at an affordable price.