The major players in the meat industry have developed what they’re calling a “stewardship plan” they say will ensure that they use antibiotics in livestock only when necessary. At issue is the possible development of deadly “super-bug” infections that are resistant to antibiotics and harmful to humans. The group has developed a set of guidelines and processes. Joe Swedberg, chairman of the Farm Foundation, says companies will use these best practices to avoid a situation where antibiotics would be unable to protect people.
A Food and Drug Administration report released last week says antibiotic use in farm animals was down 33-percent between 2016 and 2017. The stewardship plan comes in response to new federal policies that would require label changes for some of the drugs, limit the ways they can be used and require that a veterinarian administer them.