US Senators Commended for Working to Shine Light on Antibiotics Practices

US - The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has come under fire for not including provisions that would improve the Food and Drug Administration's annual reporting of antibiotic sales for use on industrial farms in the Animal Drug User Fee Act.
calendar icon 22 March 2013
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The act was sent out for committee vote on Wednesday (20 March).

Laura Rogers, project director, The Pew Charitable Trusts said: "We are extremely disappointed that the Senate committee charged with protecting our health has neglected its mission.

"The nation's public health leaders urged the committee to allow the Food and Drug Administration to collect more detailed information about the sale of antibiotics for food animal production.

"Antibiotic overuse in meat and poultry production is breeding superbugs that threaten human health, but we have no information that reveals in which animals and for which purposes these drugs are administered so widely. Without greater transparency, the overuse of these drugs may continue unchecked.

"We applaud Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Dianne Feinstein for offering a proposal to shine a light on the use of antibiotics on industrial farms. "We will work with them to ensure that the Senate includes these provisions in the final Animal Drug User Fee Act. As our public health leaders warn of the growing threat of 'nightmare bacteria,' we cannot miss this opportunity to ensure we are using these drugs wisely."

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