Livestock producers boosted their use of antibiotics by 16 percent from 2009-12, federal data indicated. More than 60 percent of sales and distribution of antimicrobials approved for food animals in 2012 were medically important antibiotics that are central to a campaign against the rise of drug-resistant disease and infections in humans.
“Antibiotic use in food animals continues to rise every year and use of some of the most important human drugs is going up the fastest,” said the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition of consumer, environmental and health groups. It said the government “must push the livestock sector” to reduce antibiotic use.
Drug makers say they will comply with an FDA plan to phase out over three years the use of antibiotics to help cattle, hogs, poultry and other food animals gain weight quicker and to require veterinary approval of antibiotic use in the future to prevent, control and treat livestock disease.
According to FDA’s latest data, 32.2 million pounds (14.6 million kg) of antibiotics approved for use in food-producing animals were sold or distributed in 2012, up 16 percent from 2009; 19.6 million pounds (8.9 million kg), or 61 percent, were medically important antibiotics, also up 16 percent. Tetracyclines accounted for the bulk of the medically important antibiotics on the 2012 tally and 40 percent of all antibiotics on the list.
FDA cautioned “assumptions cannot be made about the actual product use” because it does not track final disposition of the drugs. Many of the antibiotics approved for food animals also are cleared for use in pets. “Extra-label” use is allowed in many instances for other species and therapeutic conditions.
All the same, reformers said it was clear that antibiotic use in livestock was rising sharply. “We know that the overuse of antibiotics on the farm is leading to more antibiotic resistant pathogens that threaten humans – and FDA’s own figures show the problem is getting worse,” said Rep Louise Slaughter. She is sponsor of a bill to restrict eight classes of antibiotics for treatment of humans and sick animals only.
Animal Health Institute, a trade group for animal pharmaceutical companies, said drugmakers “are committed to continuous improvement of judicious use” of antibiotics. It pointed to documents that say over-use by humans was more to blame for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. FDA data show three-fourths of antibiotic sales and distribution are for livestock; it lists five limitations to comparing human and animal usage.