Title: Antibiotics in Agriculture: Science, Public Policy, and the Marketplace
1Antibiotics in Agriculture Science, Public
Policy, and the Marketplace
Rebecca Goldburg, Senior Scientist,Environmental
Defense November, 2004
2The Antibiotic Resistance Crisis
- Federal Interagency Task Force, 2001
- Antimicrobial resistance is a growing menace to
all people - Without effective action, treatments for common
infections will become increasingly limited and
expensive and, in some cases, nonexistent.
3Relative Causation
- Medical overuse is a major factor
- But, massive agricultural use of antibiotics
likely also plays a large role in generating and
distributing resistance genes - Precise quantification of relative contributions
probably impossible - ... but simultaneous action on medical and
agricultural fronts is not!
4Key terminology
- Therapeutic
- Treat sick animals or those likely to get sick
because of illness in the herd or flock
- Non-therapeutic
- Generally added to feed
- For growth promotion
- For routine prophylaxis compensate for
- crowded conditions
5Routine Prophylaxis
- Crowding
- Stress
- Poor hygiene
- Poor diet
- Premature
- weaning
6U.S. antimicrobial use
70
Half from classes used in human medicine
15
8
6
Livestock Therapy
Human Therapy
Other
Livestock Non-Therapeutic
UCS estimates
7Medically important antibiotics used as
non-therapeutic feed additives
- Macrolides
- Penicillins
- Tetracyclines
- Streptogramins
- Aminoglycosides
- Lincomycin
- Sulfonamides
- Bacitracin
Rx
8Routes of Exposure
Antibiotics
HUMANS (General Populace)
FOOD
Animals
WORKERS
Resistant Bacteria
ENVIRONMENT
9Transfer of Resistance Genes
- Plasmids and more
- Readily transferred
- Even to distantly
- related bacteria
- Confirmed in human gut, mouth
- Bacteria teach each other to outwit
antibiotics
10Routes of Exposure
AR genes once evolved in bacteria of any kind
anywhere, can spread indirectly through the
worlds interconnecting commensal, environmental
and pathogenic bacterial populations to other
kinds of bacteria anywhere else. -- OBrien, 2002
Antibiotics
Via FOOD handling, consumption
HUMANS (General Populace)
Animals
Via WORKERS Handling of feed, manure transfer to
family, community
Resistant Bacteria
Via ENVIRONMENT Contamination of water, soil, air
by bacteria and antibiotics
11The Role of Residues
- Antibiotic residues NOT major focus of concern
- Testing finds occasional violations of residue
standards - But, even if residue standards fully met,
antibiotic resistance problem remains!
12Public-health consensus
- National Academies Institute of Medicine, 2003
- "Clearly, a decrease in antimicrobial use in
human medicine alone will have little effect on
the current situation. Substantial efforts must
be made to decrease inappropriate overuse in
animals and agriculture as well."
13WHO Review A Phaseout is Doable
- Internationally there has been considerable
speculation about the effects of antimicrobial
growth promoter termination on efficiency of food
animal production, food safety, and consumer
prices. These issues have been addressed in the
Danish experiment, and there have been no
serious effects.
14Government Policy and Marketplace Initiatives
- Government policy
- Phaseouts of antibiotic feed additives in Sweden,
Denmark, and then EU - US FDA, Congress
- Marketplace
- Restaurant chains, suppliers
- Market opportunities
15Environmental Defenses role
- Coalition to Keep Antibiotics Working (KAW)
members include - Union of Concerned Scientists
- Humane Society of the United States
- National Catholic Rural Life Conference
- Environmental Defense
- Alliance for Environmental Innovation arm of
Environmental Defense that works with businesses
to voluntarily adopt policies and practices that
protect the environment
16FDAs Draft Guidance 152
- New FDA policy
- Mostly guidance to industry for assessing NEW
antimicrobial drugs for animals - Acknowledges FDA needs to review existing
approvals, but no timetable for doing so
17Fluoroquinolones in poultry
- Oct. 2000 FDA proposed to ban fluoroquinolones
for therapeutic use in poultry - Bayer contesting
- FDA administrative law judge ruled against Bayer
in 2003 - Multi-year process of appeals ensues
- Meanwhile, poultry drug remains on market
18Citizen Petition to FDA, March 1999
? Asked FDA to issue rules phasing out
non-therapeutic use of 7 classes of medically
important antibiotics.
? FDA tentative response Feb. 01 The
Agencys experience with contested, formal with-
drawal proceedings is that the process can
consume extensive periods of time and Agency
resources.
? FDA cited as examples ? DES - 6 years
? Nitrofurans - 20 years
19- 8 classes x 6 20 years per class
20Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical
Treatment Act (Sen. Kennedy/Snowe Rep.
Brown/Gilchrest)
- Phases out nontherapeutic use of 8 classes of
human-use antibiotics - Unless FDA concludes safe
- Ag-use data
- Transition support
21Endorsers
- About 375 endorsers, including
- American Medical Association
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Alabama State Nurses Association
- Iowa Farmers Union
- American Grassfed Association
- Consumer Federation of America
22Marketplace Private sector actions
- Major poultry producers -- Perdue, Tyson Foods,
Foster Farms, ConAgra, Gold Kist, Claxton, and
Wayne Farms say they have reduced or eliminated
routine uses of medically important antibiotics
or the use of fluoroquinolones in sick birds
23McDonalds Policy
- Developed with Environmental Defense
- Bans growth promoters after 2004 for direct
suppliers, i.e. poultry
- Creates purchasing preference for other suppliers
- Establishes guidelines for sustainable use
e.g. preventative use of antibiotics
24Economic Opportunity
- Consumer interest in products from animals raised
- Without routine/
- any antibiotics
- Without hormones
- Under standards for
- humane treatment
- By independent
- family farmers
25Family Farm Foods
- New initiative
- Marketing alliance to be based in Louisiana
- National scope with regional subunits
- Link producers to retailers
- Clear, consistent production protocols
26National Brand using Visa Model
27Family Farm Foods
- Key organizations
- Agriculture of the Middle
- The Association of Family Farms, Inc.
- Family Farm Foods of Mississippi
- Other supporters
- Land grants
- Foundations
- Nongovernment organizations
- SYSCO, Winn Dixie
28Conclusions
- Strong scientific case for reducing antibiotic
use in animal agriculture - Federal government is beginning to address the
issue - Some major food companies are reducing antibiotic
use, particularly in poultry - Coupling reduced antibiotic use with other
production attributes may offer an opportunity
for independent farmers
29Leading the Flock McDonalds Antibiotic Policy