FDA to investigate restricting antibiotic use in livestock

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg stated in a House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing that the FDA is investigating regulatory pathways to restrict antibiotic use in farm animals. Some members of the congressional panel questioned the evidence that antibiotic use in livestock is associated with the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens of significance to humans.
Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, invited Dr. Hamburg to visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Disease Center at Ames, Iowa, and gather scientific information from producer organizations.