WASHINGTON – More antibiotics are used in farm animals than in people in the United States, according to the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. A growing number of experts are questioning the possible side effects, including new forms of bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant.
At a hearing in Congress on Wednesday, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and some of the country's top veterinarians weighed in on the issue. Some Ohio farmers feed antibiotics to their cows, pigs and chickens to keep them healthy and prompt faster growth, but Lauren Ketcham at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association says the practice also has environmental effects.
"Animal waste that is produced on factory farms contains ammonia, nitrates, phosphorous and, in many cases, antibiotics. When these waste products are concentrated in such high volumes and not properly disposed of, these things find their way into our groundwater and our soil."
The FDA is suggesting what it calls "judicious use" of antibiotics in food animals, although some people don't believe the agency's stance is tough enough.
To read the rest of this story please go to: Public News Service