Call to McDonald’s to Source Beef Raised Without Antibiotics
US - Antibiotics campaigning Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter has called on fast food chain McDonald’s to keep a promise the company has made to stop using beef from animals raised using antibiotics.
21 May 2014
2 minute read
Rep Slaughter, who has put forward a bill in the US, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), is campaigning for an end to the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture by protecting eight classes of antibiotics for human use and the treatment of sick animals.
In a letter to McDonald’s Rep Slaughter said: “I would like to commend McDonald’s for its recently announced initiative to source hamburger beef from sustainably raised cows and strongly urge you to consider the issue of antibiotic overuse in your supply chain when defining sustainability.
“For the past seven years, I have been leading the charge in Congress to protect eight classes of antibiotics for human use and the treatment of sick animals through a bill called the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA).
“Given that over 80 per cent of the antibiotics sold in the US are used in agriculture, a situation that hastens the development of antibiotic resistance, we need to be especially concerned with how our meat is produced.
“Beef production is not sustainable if antibiotics are overused.”
Rep Slaughter added: “Antibiotics are an essential requirement for modern medicine, and scientists around the world are predicting that in as little as one decade, common surgeries like knee and hip replacements, cesarean sections, and dental work could become lethally dangerous due to antibiotic resistance.
“By primarily sourcing beef from cows raised without antibiotics, and by insisting on antibiotic-free poultry production, McDonald’s can jump-start a worldwide system of sustainable production.”
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