The Emerald City Council To Make Decision on Antibiotic Resolution

On April Fool’s Day, several Washington livestock industry representatives traveled to Seattle for a Seattle City Council’s Planning and Land Use and Sustainability Committee meeting to discuss the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.

 

It seems that Seattle — priding itself on being on the cutting edge of health issues —feels the need to pass a resolution concerning the use of antibiotic medicine in livestock production; thus supporting a statewide and national ban on non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics in livestock production and urging Congress to pass respective bills through both the House and Senate.

 

Washington Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Jack Field provided two-minutes of testimony to the Council against passing this resolution.

 

Field: “I mentioned in my opening statement that they not take action and allow for industry to participate in broader discussion where we could all work in finding a more collaborative solution. The way that the other side presented and mis-represented facts was absolutely atrocious. You don’t know where to begin.”

 

Did you know that pound for pound humans and their pets use 10 times the amount of antibiotics than what is used in food animal production.?

The subcommittee did vote to pass the resolution and it will go before the entire city council on Monday of next week.