Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 3/30/10

The American Veterinary Medical Association briefed Congress Monday on the need for using antibiotics to prevent and treat disease in companion animals and livestock.

AVMA held two educational sessions with honorary hosts Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), the only veterinarians serving in Congress. The sessions informed congressional staffers how veterinarians utilize antibiotics to keep animals disease-free.

Lloyd Keck, a worldwide animal health consultant to the poultry industry and former AVMA Congressional Science Fellow, countered the argument that antibiotic use in livestock raises the risk of bacterial resistance in humans. Such concerns have prompted the proposal of legislation aimed at curbing antibiotic use in animals.

"Antibiotics are necessary for veterinarians to protect the health and well-being of animals," Keck said in an AVMA news release. "Benefits to animals and people outweigh the current risk associated with bacterial resistance. Going forward, we need to let good sense and good science guide this issue."

The briefings were among AVMA's efforts to educate Congress about the importance of treating America's animals, particularly how the health of those animals impacts human health.

AVMA opposes H.R. 1549 and S. 619, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). The group's scientific experts have twice testified before Congress that broad-based antibiotic bans, such as PAMTA, would have adverse effects on animal and public health.

"Antibiotics are a vital part of the veterinarian's toolkit," said Ashley Shelton, assistant director of AVMA's governmental relations division. "There are very few drugs available for treating animal disease, and the AVMA believes that antibiotics should be used judiciously and in the best interest of animal health and public health."

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