Washington, DC - U.S. Representative Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today introduced a bill to phase out the routine feeding of medically important antibiotics to healthy farm animals within two years because such use contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can infect humans. The bill, “The Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act of 2002,” is endorsed by the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, American College of Preventive Medicine and Ambulatory Pediatric Association, and Keep Antibiotics Working: The Campaign to End Antibiotic Overuse, among other groups. Original bill cosponsors include Reps. Harry Waxman (D-CA) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY), who also is a bacteriologist.

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that 70% of antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to healthy farm animals to promote growth and compensate for crowded, unsanitary conditions often found on factory farms; over half of those drugs are identical or closely related to antibiotics used to treat human illness.

The introduction of Rep. Brown’s bill coincides with the release of a new national poll showing that by nearly a 5 to 3 margin (52% vs. 32%) poll respondents believe “Congress [should] enact a law to stop [the] routine feeding of antibiotics to healthy farm animals.” The poll respondents also said by more than a 2 to 1 margin (65% vs. 27%) that they “would buy meat and poultry raised without antibiotics if they were available at your grocer even if doing so raised your total grocery bill by 80 cents per week.” (The 80 cents per week cost increase is the National Academy of Sciences’ estimate for a family of four of eliminating all antibiotics in healthy animals, not just medically important ones, as Rep. Brown’s bill would do.) In addition, by more than a 2 to 1 margin (62% vs. 25%) poll respondents “think farms should voluntarily end [the use of medically important antibiotics in healthy farm animals] even if no law requires them to do so.” The survey of 1,000 Americans was conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch between January 23-27.

“Use of medically important antibiotics in healthy farm animals contributes to infections in people that are resistant to treatment with antibiotics,” said Tamar Barlam, M.D., an infectious disease physician at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Representative Brown’s bill will help keep antibiotics working for the people who need them.”

The legislation also would ban the use of Cipro-like antibiotics to treat sick poultry and prevent illness in healthy poultry within six months because it is promoting the development of potentially deadly food poisoning infections that are resistant to Cipro. The Food and Drug Administration proposed such a ban in October 2000, but the sole remaining manufacturer of these drugs for poultry, the Germany-based Bayer Corporation, is fighting the proposed ban through a hearing process that may take years to complete.

“Representative Brown is to be commended for his leadership on this critical public health issue,” said Karen Florini, senior attorney with Environmental Defense. “Cancer patients, premature babies, persons with HIV/AIDS, and seniors may depend on antibiotics for their very survival. Representative Brown's legislation will help stem the spread of antibiotic resistance to the benefit of these groups as well as the rest of us."

Keep Antibiotics Working is a coalition of health, consumer, agricultural, environmental and other advocacy groups with more than nine million members dedicated to eliminating a major cause of antibiotic resistance—the inappropriate use of antibiotics in farm animals. For more information, visit www.KeepAntibioticsWorking.com, www.BayerWatch.com or www.AntibioticsPetition.com.

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