It has been a long time coming, but the United States Department of Agriculture has finally admitted that there is a link between antibiotic resistance in the U.S., and the use of the substance in animal feed on farms.
The use of antibiotics and chemicals in the feed given to livestock has been a concern for years. With antibiotic resistance growing in the country’s population, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have already owned up to the issue.
Despite these findings, several representatives, particularly conservative, have been asking for “scientific proof”, of which there is an overwhelming amount. Even with numerous studies and testimonies from the greatest scientific sources in our country, there are calls for more.
The issue seems to be one of increasing greed, with the profits of these practices outweighing the obvious risks.
There are now several strains of infection and bacteria that are resistant in both people and animals to antibiotics. This is, without much doubt, a matter of what we put into the feed, which is them digested and absorbed into meat eaten by people and other animals.
The three necessary organizations are now on board, all saying the same thing. They may be doing so without enthusiasm, but it isn’t because it is not true. It is because they wish it wasn’t, and they know the impact this will have on the current policies of U.S. agriculture.
It is time to get moving on this problem, and stop it.