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Help Get Antibiotics out of California Livestock!

The state Senate Food and Agriculture committee passed legislation out of the committee that would ban the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics in livestock. Now it is up to the Senate Education Committee to vote in favor of consumer health by passing it out of committee on Wednesday April 29th. Can you take a moment to tell your representaive to support SB 416?

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February 09, 2010

Subject:

Dear Legislator:

April 27, 2009

Re: SB 416 -- SUPPORT

Dear Legislator:

I am writing to express my support for S.B. 416, which would ban nontherapeutic antibiotic use in livestock production in California.

It is routine practice on many of our nation’s large livestock operations to feed animals low doses of antibiotics over long periods of time. Producers do so in order to boost growth rates or prevent disease outbreaks among animals housed closely together, often in unhygienic conditions. The volume of antibiotics fed to animals for these nontherapeutic purposes dwarfs the amount used to treat sick animals, and half of the antibiotics used are either the same or very similar to those given to humans when they are sick. Critical human drugs like penicillin and tetracycline are widely available for animal producers to purchase online or in feed supply stores without a prescription. Disturbingly, studies show they are commonly used in ways other than that directed on the label.

As a consumer, I am extremely concerned about the human health impact of nontherapeutic antibiotic use in livestock and poultry production. There is a scientific consensus that such use contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can be transmitted to humans through the environment and on the food consumers eat. Children and the elderly are particularly susceptible.

The link between nontherapeutic antibiotic use and human health threats has led prominent medical authorities – including the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the Institute of Medicine, and the Pew Commission – to call for a ban on the use of nontherapeutic antibiotics in livestock and poultry production. It is time for California to lead the nation in implementing these recommendations.

S.B. 416 is particularly important given the insufficient oversight of animal antibiotic use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Most of the antibiotics in use on animals today were approved before the FDA began giving serious consideration to bacterial resistance as part of its approval process. The agency’s new framework does take resistance into account for future approvals, but does not require reviewing previously-approved antibiotics. As a consequence, drugs that are known to contribute to bacterial resistance are widely in use.

I urge the Senate Education Committee to support S.B. 416 aimed at protecting California consumers, the environment, and the efficacy of our antibiotic supply by eliminating the practice of nontherapeutic antibiotic use on California livestock and poultry operations.

Sincerely,

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