A new bill being introduced in Oregon is aiming to better regulate how farmers use antibiotics on their livestock.
The practice of administering antibiotics to entire herds of livestock has been fairly common, although antibiotic-free meats are becoming steadily more available, but if a new bill being introduced to Oregon legislature passes, it will be the first state to regulate how farmers utilize antibiotics. The over-use of antibiotics in farm animals can be dangerous by creating antibiotic ?super bugs.? The FDA has been wanting to crack down on the use of antibiotics being used for unintended purposes for a while now. In 2013 the FDA released two guidance rules?to begin phasing out the ability to add antibiotics to feed so that animals can gain more weight while not having to eat as much.
Currently, anyone is able to purchase livestock antibiotics over the counter at many farm supply stores without needing a prescription from a veterinarian, and the FDA is looking to change that, requiring a prescription to purchase antibiotics so that they will only be used on sick animals who need them. A bill limiting antibiotics for preventative use could cause a problem, though, as disease can be spread quickly through herds.
It may seem that we are damned if we do, damned if we don’t, having to choose between super bugs or the chances of entire herds contracting diseases, but the bill in Oregon is making certain exceptions for preventative use of disease? and would require farmers to track the use of these drugs in their animals and make the information available to the public.
