The United Nations General Assembly passed a declaration aiming to slow down the spread of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. The U.S. is well underway in following the U.N.’s directive. Animal health companies are eliminating the use of antibiotics important to human medicine for the purpose of promoting growth in animals. In many cases, these antibiotics will only be available under a Veterinary Feed Directive, essentially a prescription from a veterinarian, starting the first of the year.
There are growing concerns that on-farm antibiotic use is harming public health by contributing to antibiotic resistance in people. But, what is the connection between antibiotics used in food animals and the risk of human antibiotic treatment failure? It’s a tough question and a scientifically-verified answer is not readily available. It’s a serious issue and…
Antibiotic stewardship and responsible use of antibiotics are terms that are used quite often these days. But, what do they mean? On the animal side, it means utilizing vaccines, proper nutrition, good ventilation, biosecurity, appropriate housing and other tools to reduce the need for antibiotics. This includes limiting use of antibiotics only for the treatment,…