Source:  MEATINGPLACE.COM, 2/2/11

The Poultry Science Association has released a policy statement and guidelines supporting the judicious use of antibiotics in food animals in response to concerns about the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in humans.

The group developed the statement, outlining its views on the benefits and risks of the use of antibiotics in food animal agriculture, in conjunction with the other member organizations of the Federation of Animal Science Societies.

Billy Hargis, a poultry science professor at the University of Arkansas, said most scientists believe it is unlikely that bacteria of the intestinal tract of poultry could transmit resistance to disease-causing organisms in humans. A greater concern, he said, is the use of first-line human drugs for treating animals.
The fear that a food-borne pathogen that is drug-resistant could be transmitted to a human from an animal carcass has led to the removal of a number of otherwise effective antibiotic treatments for poultry. However, a number of antimicrobials remain available for use in animal agriculture that are not first- or second-line choices for physicians.

“We are confident that this is a balance that can be struck through the careful development of regulatory systems for supporting antibiotics for disease treatment and a science-based approach to the continued use of antibiotics in food animal populations where it is demonstrably efficacious in treating disease, promoting health, and increasing global food security," PSA President Mike Lilburn said.

The statement and policy objectives, outlined in a document titled "Preserving the Benefits of Antibiotics for People and Animals," can be viewed here. 

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