The use of antibiotics in animal agriculture is an important factor in providing the safe, affordable food we need and want. At the same time, antibiotic resistance is a complex and serious issue. That’s why farmers, veterinarians and regulators, principally the Food and Drug Administration, collaborated to address antibiotic resistance, changing the way animal agriculture operates today.
New Food and Drug Administration guidance that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2017, will end the use of antibiotics important to human medicine to promote growth in animals or to improve feed efficiency, and require veterinary oversight for the use of medically important antibiotics in animal agriculture.
New rules and guidelines are coming into effect to govern the use of antibiotics for animal agriculture, supported by farmers, veterinarians and the animal health community, as we do our part to ensure responsible use of antibiotics. Bottom line: making these changes is the right thing to do. For example, the animal health community has…