CBS airs report critical of farm antibiotic use

CBS Evening News featured a report on its February 9 newscast on antibiotic use in farm animals, in which workers and Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming allege that current veterinary practices are leading to the development of antibiotic-resistant diseases in humans.
In the CBS report, reporter Katie Couric stated incorrectly that “the bottom line on antibiotic use in factory farming is this: no one is really monitoring it.”
The report interviewed workers at an Arkansas hatchery who claimed they developed methicillin-resistant staph infections from working with poultry who were treated with antibiotics. It also cited a University of Iowa study that found a new strain of the infection in 70% of hogs and 64% of workers on sampled farms in Iowa and Western Illinois.
Liz Wagstrom, a veterinarian with the National Pork Board, told Couric that “the vast majority of producers use [antibiotics] appropriately.” Wagstrom added, “I'd say we do strategically place them. It's not an all day, every pig gets antibiotics every day of his life.” Wagstrom was one of two industry representatives interviewed for the report. The other was Iowa pig farmer Dave Kronlage.