The FDA announced earlier today that over the next three years, it will phase in the first curbs in years on the use of antibiotics in animals raised for meat.
Antibiotics, one of the wonder drugs of the 20th century, were initially used indiscriminately in people and animals, experts say. By the 1970s, public health officials had become worried that overuse was leading to the development of infections resistant to treatment in humans. But for years, modest efforts by federal officials were thwarted by the powerful food industry and its lobbying power in Congress. The issue of antibiotic overuse in animals and drug resistance has since become one of the leading public health concerns worldwide with at least 2 million Americans falling sick every year and about 23,000 dying from antibiotic-resistant infections.
The agency has changed the rules so that food animal producers would no longer be able to use antibiotics to make animals grow faster. It will accomplish that by asking manufacturers of the drugs to change the labels in a way that would make it illegal for farmers to use the medicines for growth promotion.
The changes, which were originally proposed in 2012, are voluntary for drug companies. But F.D.A. officials said they believed the companies would comply, based on discussions during the public comment period. The two drug makers that represent a majority of such drug products have already stated their intent to participate, F.D.A. officials said on a call for reporters on Wednesday. Companies will have three months to tell the agency whether they will change the labels, and three years to carry out the new rules.
Additionally, the agency is requiring that licensed veterinarians supervise the use of antibiotics, effectively requiring farmers and ranchers to obtain prescriptions in order to be able to use the drugs for their animals.
A provision in the rules would allow the use of low-dose antibiotics to prevent animals from getting sick. Still, this is a pretty big change. In the past, ranchers could simply buy antibiotics over the counter at the feed store. Now, they'd have to convince a veterinarian that these drugs are necessary.
I'd have also liked it if the FDA made the label changes mandatory rather than voluntary. The FDA must have twisted enough arms behind the scenes that it felt it didn't need to do so. According to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, however, when the EU urged similar restrictions in 2006, overall usage remained the same except in countries that enacted limits on use and fines for noncompliance.
There are problems with antibiotics beyond concerns that they're being used too much. A lot of these drugs don't agree with human systems. Earlier this summer, I bought some chicken at Food Lion, and ended up getting a nasty case of acid reflux. It took me a week to get rid of it.