Posted: April 29th, 2010 - 5:46pm
Source: New York Times

Larry Corry, a veterinarian, is president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, writes in this letter that in “Cows on Drugs” (Op-Ed, April 18), Donald Kennedy states that giving antibiotics to large numbers of animals raised for food leads to antibiotic resistance in humans. It is important to note that there is no evidence that banning or limiting the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has decreased the rate and severity of resistant infections in humans.
Antibiotics are an important part of the veterinarian’s tool kit. Using antibiotics judiciously to prevent diseases before they occur and controlling them before they spread help protect the health and well-being of food animals and, ultimately, the safety of our food supply.
Passing legislation like the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which would ban the use of these antibiotics before science-based studies are done to determine if there is an actual risk to human health, would have a negative effect on animal health and food safety.