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Antibiotics ruling could delay process FDA already started
Story Date: 3/28/2012
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Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 3/27/12
Both the pork and chicken industries are voicing their discontent over the decision by a U.S. district court judge requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use an administrative process on subtherapeutic antibiotic use for animal agriculture, citing the threats to human health by overuse of antibiotics in animals.
Although the ruling requires that the FDA start the process of considering removing label claims, it does not determine if the products should be banned, Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian for the National Pork Producers Council, told Meatingplace. “We are anticipating the release of FDA’s Guidance for Industry #209 that lays out a collaborative process for animal health companies to work with FDA to surrender their subtherapeutic label claims.”
That guidance should be released any day now, Ron Phillips, vice president of legislative and public affairs for the Animal Health Institute, told Meatingplace.
“This court decision could unfortunately delay the process of eliminating the subtherapeutic use of antibiotics from the market,” adding that the FDA has been addressing the issue for two years through a collaborative stakeholder process.
“That process is moving ahead and additional guidance documents implementing those goals are expected to be published any day. FDA has said the process is a more efficient way of achieving these goals than the process being forced by the court,” he added. “This case will devote time, attention and resources from that process.”
“One of the tools in the toolbox to ensure animal health and produce wholesome animal protein is the limited use of FDA-approved antibiotics to treat and prevent disease,” Tom Super, vice president of communications for the National Chicken Council, told Meatingplace.
In 1977, the FDA determined that the use of penicillin and tetracyclines in food animal production posed a risk to human health and proposed to withdraw approval for the uses of those antibiotics in animal feed, but it had not been regulating the antibiotics.
Praise
Makers of organic foods, though, praised the move.
"This is a tremendous victory for public health," said Stephen McDonnell, founder and CEO of Applegate Farms, which makes natural and organic meats and cheeses. "The FDA has dragged its feet for more than 30 years on antibiotic resistance.”
In partnership with STOP Foodborne Illness, Applegate Farms launched Citizens Against Superbugs in December 2011 and sponsored a survey of 2,211 consumers that found that 71 percent believe that antibiotic overuse and misuse is causing antibiotic resistance and a human health crisis.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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