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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

FDA Aims to Reduce Use of Antibiotics in Farm Animals

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Thursday, December 12, 2013   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - With the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to phase out the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of farm animals, but some claim the government's efforts don't go far enough. FDA guidance calls for manufacturers to voluntarily change antibiotic labeling to indicate they drugs are only for disease prevention. However, according to Dr. David Wallinga, founder of Healthy Food Action, many antibiotics are now labeled for a variety of uses, and changing that won't necessarily stop their use.

"FDA is asking the companies to remove all these claims for promoting growth and just leave in place the disease-prevention claims and leave in place the dosages. What we worry about is that basically people will just be using them the same as they ever did, for growth promotion - regardless of what they call it," Wallinga said.

It's estimated that in 2011 in the U.S., about 8 million pounds of antibiotics were sold for human consumption, but nearly 30 million pounds were sold for meat and poultry production. Many antibiotics used for chickens, cows and pigs also are used to treat humans when they get sick, which has helped contribute to the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria that Wallinga said have been deemed a major threat to public health.

"We have an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections," he warned. "They're killing more and more people every year. What everybody now knows, including the Centers for Disease Control as well as your local doctor, is that wherever you overuse antibiotics can help increase antibiotic resistance generally."

With Wednesday's final guidance from the FDA, pharmaceutical companies have 90 days to decide whether to participate. If they choose to, they will have three years to make the changes.

More information is available from the FDA at http://1.usa.gov.




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