Antibiotics and Agriculture

THE ISSUE: An estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States are fed to farm animals for non-therapeutic purposes. That is, to promote slightly faster growth and to prevent diseases that would otherwise result from raising animals under stressful, overcrowded, and unsanitary conditions. Nearly 50% of these antibiotics are identical or closely related to important human medicines. Mounting scientific evidence points to the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture as an important contributor to the rising crisis of antibiotic resistance, making human infections more and more difficult to treat.

House Ag Subcommittee Hears Testimony From Industry

Chairwoman Slaughter's Statement On Agriculture Subcommittee Hearing on Animal Health, Antibiotics

Thank You Letters to Sponsors of PAMTA

FDA Ban of Agricultural Drug due to Antibiotic-Resistance Effects in Humans

Health Care Without Harm

Antibiotics, Agriculture and Catholic Teaching

Why a Cause for Concern

Legislation for Phasing out Antibiotic Overuse

KAW Campaign comments submitted to USDA

Thank You Letter to Panera Bread

Thank You Letter to USDA Secretary Veneman

Thank You Letter to McDonald’s Corporation

Keep Antibiotics Working: The Campaign to End Antibiotic Overuse
This will take you to the Keep Antibiotics Working website and the latest news about
antibiotic resistance and agriculture.

GAO report: "routine antibiotic use in animals is unacceptable" (pdf file)