Blow the Whistle on Antibiotic Overuse!

Take Action – The Pew Charitable Trusts

Act now! Tell FDA that just as referees are needed to enforce the rules of a football game, we need veterinarians to oversee the use of antibiotics on industrial farms. Together with farmers, they can keep animals healthy and slow the evolution of resistant bacteria.

Overusing antibiotics—in animals and people alike—breeds drug-resistant bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these germs are responsible for at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths every year. Thankfully, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a new policy that would require veterinarians to oversee the use of all antibiotics in animal feed and water. 

This proposal is a step in the right direction, but it contains some loopholes that could allow antibiotic overuse to continue.

Take action today: Ask FDA to close the loopholes in its policies, require real veterinary oversight, and make sure antibiotics are used responsibly so that they work when we need them.

http://advocacy.pewhealth.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1793&ea.campaign.id=25111