Antibiotics law, consumers shift livestock industry: California first in nation to require veterinarian oversight

Woods note: It has been about 20 years now that I had a graduate student for the summer from Germany University. He was amazed that I could legally castrate my own animals, that I could legally do minor surgery to repair an injury. He could not believe we could buy over the counter antibiotic, and vaccines. In Europe animal medicine is socialized just as human medicine is. Antibiotics law, consumers shift livestock industry: California first in nation to require veterinarian oversight October 26, 2015, 05:00 AM By Samantha Weigel Daily Journal In the wake of a local legislator’s years-long efforts to curb the proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria, California has become the first in the nation to enact strict regulations over how its livestock industry administers antibiotics. With the public tuning in and becoming more informed on how their food is produced, consumers are also causing a shift in the market as several major fast food chains recently announcing they’ll stop serving antibiotic-fed meat. State Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, spent two sessions pushing bills to curb the overuse of antibiotics in California-raised livestock. For years, several interest groups and even Gov. Jerry Brown called for Hill to strengthen his proposal before they’d support his plan. A sticking point related to whether antibiotics can be used to treat animals that aren’t sick — ultimately, changing the bill to prevent regular and widespread use on healthy animals pushed it into law. As Brown signed Hill’s legislation into law this month, California will be the first in the nation to require strict veterinary oversight of antibiotics in livestock and forbid the pharmaceuticals from being used to promote growth beginning January 2018. With 70 percent of the nation’s supply used on animals and 97 percent of that obtained over the counter, Hill said having medical professionals oversee the administration of antibiotics will change industry practices for the better. Hill said he was prompted to act by fear of a return to the days before live-saving discoveries like penicillin were made. According to the Centers for Disease Control, antibiotic-resistant bacteria is responsible for killing nearly 23,000 Americans a year and sickening another 2 million. “People are becoming conscious and aware of the problem as more publicity occurs and I think they know we need to change our behavior,” Hill said. Although Hill received some initial pushback from groups that sought stricter regulations, amendments to the law ensuring antibiotics could not continuously be used to prevent disease in healthy animals earned praise from many. The California Public Interest Group applauded Hill’s leadership and was pleased to support the bill once it set stronger parameters around antibiotics used to prevent diseases in animals that aren’t sick, said Jason Pfeifle, a public health advocate with CALPIRG. “We are hopeful that California’s new law will set a model for other states to follow and, with stronger legislation in other states, then we can begin to make significant progress on curbing antibiotic resistant bacteria,” Pfeifle said. Consumers and laws such as California’s could help to reshape the livestock industry and fast food industry. This week, Subway announced it would phase out antibiotic-fed meats and earlier this year, McDonald’s said it would stop serving chicken or poultry treated with the drugs, Pfeifle said. “The marketplace is beginning to change in that regard; more and more consumers are demanding food and meats that haven’t been raised with antibiotics and because of that, large fast food companies like McDonald’s and Subway are beginning to meet consumer demands. And those moves by those companies will certainly put additional pressure on the livestock industry,” Pfeifle said. The California Cattlemen’s Association remained neutral on the law and representatives noted they support antibiotics being used judiciously, said Justin Oldfield, vice president of government relations with the association. While industry practices must change with new federal regulations requiring veterinary oversight for antibiotics administered through feed and water; California’s law goes a step further by regulating all antibiotics, such as those administered through an injection, Oldfield said. “That’s a pretty significant step. No other state in the country will have that type of regulation. Our association does support all ranchers having a relationship with a large animal veterinarian. … But for those that do not and those that live in very rural areas and may have a hard time accessing pharmacies where these drugs are sold, we’re concerned about having antibiotics made available to them on a timely basis,” Oldfield said. Ranchers will have to ensure they have plans in place with their veterinarians, particularly in advance of certain seasons during which cattle are more apt to become ill, Oldfield said. For those who have relied on their local feed stores to buy antibiotics and may be several hours away from pharmacies or vets, they’ll undoubtedly be impacted once the new law goes into effect, Oldfield said. “There’s definitely going to be an adjustment and that’s why we’re concerned about folks that are in more rural areas,” Oldfield said. “We’re going to need to have a plan, because letting animals suffer or not dealing with those issues, for us, that’s not acceptable.” Hill agreed there are certain circumstances in which using antibiotics for preventative means, such as after surgery, is reasonable amongst both livestock and humans. While the Federal Food and Drug Administration issued voluntary measures on how antibiotics are used in livestock in 2013, Hill said it’s important to codify the rules. Plus, it could ultimately improve the way livestock are raised, he added. “In many cases, it’s been argued the reason they do use antibiotics for preventative and prophylactic use is because of the unsanitary living conditions for these animals and that’s promoting diseases and microbial infections,” Hill said. “So the fact that they can’t use antibiotics any longer, may cause a healthier environment for the animals as well.” samantha@smdailyjournal.com (650) 344-5200 ext. 106