Urge Congress to Just Say No to Nontherapeutic Antibiotic Drugs

October 22, 2003 Legislation recently introduced in Congress would phase out, within two years of enactment, the nontherapeutic use of medically important antibiotics on farm animals who are fed the drugs for growth enhancement and routine disease prevention. The bills would also require manufacturers to report the quantities and intended purposes of antibiotics sold for agricultural use.

Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) teamed up to introduce S. 1460 this summer, and Representatives Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) jointly introduced H.R. 2932.

The legislation has become necessary because antibiotics are regularly laced into the feed of chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows, and other farm animals. In most cases, these drugs are given not to treat illness but for "nontherapeutic" purposes—to speed the animals' growth and keep them from getting sick in overcrowded, stressful and often squalid conditions.

The byproduct of this widespread abuse of antibiotics—an estimated 70% of all antibiotics and related drugs used in the United States are fed to farm animals for nontherapeutic purposes—has been the compromised effectiveness of the drugs themselves. A strong body of scientific evidence has linked the profligate use of antibiotics by agribusiness with the increasing ineffectiveness of the drugs for treating sick people and animals.

The pending legislation would not only stop this abuse, but would fill a critical void. Currently, no agency or group tracks the use of antibiotics in U.S. agriculture. In fact, the massive amounts of antibiotics fed to farm animals are given without even a veterinarian's prescription.

A broad array of groups—including the American Medical Association and more than 300 organizations representing health, consumer, environmental, humane, sustainable agriculture, and other interests—has called on Congress to enact legislation to phase out nontherapeutic use of medically important antibiotics in farm animals. But it will take thousands of citizens demanding action to overcome the powerful influence of agribusiness and the pharmaceutical lobby on Capitol Hill.

One encouraging sign that the issue is getting greater attention came in June, when McDonald's announced a new policy to reduce nontherapeutic antibiotic use by its meat suppliers. Because the world's largest restaurant chain acknowledged the problem and took steps to address it, industry opponents have had a harder time insisting that there's no cause for concern.

While The HSUS believes McDonald's policy should be broader, it does represent a positive first step, and we applaud it. The policy focuses on antibiotics used for growth promotion, but says little about the much larger use of antibiotics for "disease prevention" in unhealthy quarters; the policy is also only mandatory for McDonald's "direct suppliers" (mostly chicken producers), leaving beef and pork suppliers to act on a strictly voluntary basis.

The limited scope of the company's policy highlights the urgent need for federal legislation. S. 1460 and H.R. 2932 will cover all nontherapeutic practices and all species. Enactment would level the playing field—imposing the same restrictions industry-wide—and provide some accountability to ensure compliance with the new rules.

In August, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report showing how feasible these reforms are. WHO documented that Denmark, the world's largest pork exporter, has successfully phased out antibiotic feed additives, yielding a dramatic reduction in levels of resistant bacteria and in overall antibiotic use without any adverse impact on meat prices or food safety.

At the very time public health experts are asking Congress to phase out nontherapeutic antibiotics on factory farms, legislation is moving forward that would represent a giant step backwards. The Minor Use/Minor Species ("MUMS") bill—S. 741/H.R. 2079—is designed to streamline the approval process for new animal drugs intended for small, less-profitable markets. That's not a bad goal; in fact, it may be the only way to help animals who need currently unavailable medical treatments.

But animals aren't well served by having more antibiotics available for abuse by factory farms and aquaculture operations. As currently written, the MUMS bill would apply its fast-track approval procedures to new antibiotics routinely fed to pigs, cows, chickens, fish, and other animals, hastening the day when antibiotics no longer work to treat sick animals or people.

How You Can Help

Urge your senators to cosponsor S. 1460 (the Kennedy-Snowe bill) and your representative to cosponsor H.R. 2932 (the Brown-Gilchrest bill). Tell them it's time for agribusiness to stop squandering these precious medicines to keep animals confined in horrible conditions. Also urge your senators and representative to oppose the MUMS bill (S. 741 in the Senate and H.R. 2079 in the House), unless it is changed to exclude new antibiotics for nontherapeutic or routine use in factory farms and aquaculture facilities.

Fax a letter and make a follow-up call for the greatest impact. You can reach your federal legislators through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. To find your legislators, click here or call The HSUS at 202-955-3668.

For more information, visit the Keep Antibiotics Working web site

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