Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 6/29/10

The FDA's announcement yesterday on proposals that would limit using medically important antibiotics for humans in animal agriculture has stirred the debate over a link between antibiotic use in food animal production and antibiotic resistance.
"Top scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health recently told a U.S. House committee that there is no scientific study linking antibiotic use in food animal production with antibiotic resistance," argued the National Pork Producers Council in a statement issued after the FDA announcement.

NPPC also voiced concern that while the proposed guidance does not have the force of law, it could be treated as such by FDA. The group predicted costly review of previously approved animal health products. It also questioned the workability of FDA's call for animal antibiotics to be used under the oversight of, or in consultation with, a veterinarian, given the current shortage of these professionals.

"Producers work with their veterinarians to develop animal health plans that include the judicious use of antibiotics," said NPPC President Sam Carney in a news release. "The industry also has programs, including the FDA-reviewed Pork Quality Assurance Plus program, that educate producers about the responsible use of antibiotics."

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association also defended current producer practices, noting the industry's Beef Quality Assurance program (BQA) has been training cattle ranchers about the safe and appropriate use of antibiotics for more than two decades.

"Antimicrobial resistance is a multi-faceted and extremely complex issue that cannot be adequately addressed by solely focusing on the use of these medications in animal agriculture," said NCBA Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth Parker in a statement. "NCBA supports actions based only on sound, peer-reviewed science and risk assessment relative to the use of antibiotics."

Clearing confusion

The American Meat Institute issued a statement making a distinction between antibiotic resistance (meaning a germ is resistant to being destroyed by a particular antibiotic) and antibiotic residue in food, saying some media reports are confusing the two.

USDA has an antibiotic residue monitoring program to ensure that livestock producers who treat an animal with antibiotics follow FDA guidance and industry compliance is high, according to AMI.

"Some media reports have suggested that meat products are the main means of exposure to antibiotic resistant bacteria. This is patently false," said Janet M. Riley, senior vice president, public affairs, in the statement. "In rare instances, meat may carry antibiotic resistant bacteria, although these would be destroyed along with other bacteria that may be present through normal cooking."

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