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Last night was the conclusion of the CBS series calling into question the use of antibiotics on farm animals in the food supply chain. The story has the food industry answering a lot of questions to concerned consumers.
The National Cattleman's Beef Association preempted the two-part airing by holding a press conference the day before the first segment aired. They are also working to kill the H.R. 1549/S. 619 bills being introduced to Congress, which would require the FDA to deny any new animal antibiotic drugs unless there was evidence the drugs will not contribute to antimicrobial resistance. You can read more about the press conference here via FoodSafetyNews.com.
FarmFutures.com has the response from the Pork Industry:
Among other things, the report suggests antibiotic use in livestock is leading to more resistance in humans, a trend Dr. Jen Greiner says isn't supported by the science.The National Pork Council has released a statement about the use of antibiotics on pig farms that you can read here (pdf file).
"We're just not seeing those trends," Greiner said. "Our producers are working on using antibiotics responsibly on farms each and everyday."
Greiner is Director of Science and Technology for the National Pork Producers Council. She notes Denmark placed a ban on antibiotic growth promoters in the late 1990s, and while CBS called it a great success story, Greiner says that's just not the case.
"When you go to Denmark and talk to producers in that country they will tell you that banning antibiotic growth promoters not only created more pig deaths and caused their pigs to suffer, but also it didn't have a positive public health outcome," Greiner said.
You can read more responses disputing the reporting in the special here, via FarmandDairy.com.
