FDA to require prescription for antibiotics in livestock

[tangent4ronpaul]

Farmers and ranchers will for the first time need a prescription from a veterinarian before using antibiotics in farm animals, in hopes that more judicious use of the drugs will reduce the tens of thousands of human deaths that result each year from the drugs' overuse.

The Food and Drug Administration announced the new rules Wednesday after trying for more than 35 years to stop farmers and ranchers from feeding antibiotics to cattle, pigs, chickens and other animals simply to help the animals grow larger. Using small amounts of antibiotics over long periods of time leads to the growth of bacteria that are resistant to the drugs' effects, endangering humans who become infected but cannot be treated with routine antibiotic therapy.

More at link...

The noose tightens...

-t

 

[angelatc]

You know, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I hate the government, but I hate the farmers that are putting that antibiotics in the cattle. I'm not convinced that they're causing tens of thousands of deaths though.

 

[Lishy]

You know, I MIGHT agree with this, if I understand it correctly. A farmer should require a prescription from a Vet before giving medicine to his animals? What's the catch?

 

[angelatc]

You know, I MIGHT agree with this, if I understand it correctly. A farmer should require a prescription from a Vet before giving medicine to his animals? What's the catch?

Well, for starts, most of us aren't convinced that we should need a prescription for anything.

 

[tttppp]

I'll bet there are better ways to solve this problem. However, if this law is actually enforced, it could be positive. If it prevents farmers from pumping up its animals with a bunch of drugs, then thats great. I'd much rather have REAL food.

 

[angelatc]

I'll bet there are better ways to solve this problem. However, if this law is actually enforced, it could be positive. If it prevents farmers from pumping up its animals with a bunch of drugs, then thats great. I'd much rather have REAL food.

But why can't the market decide? I'd rather have cheaper beef - I don't really care about the antibiotics in my beef as long as it's cheaper.

 

[tttppp]

But why can't the market decide? I'd rather have cheaper beef - I don't really care about the antibiotics in my beef as long as it's cheaper.

Like I said, there are better ways to do this. I have an idea that would motivate the market to eliminate fake food by themselves, without regulations. That would be the best solution.

However, as a consumer, I would appreciate being able to pick up any piece of meat and know its mostly healthy. Meat with crap in it may be cheaper, but it will cost you more in medical expenses in the long run.

Be creative. I'm sure there are many other ways too where you could eliminate garbage in your food. Another idea would be to have better disclosure. And hold companies accountable for it. There are plenty of companies which advertise their meat as antibiotic free, however I know they are full of shit, and nobody does anything about it.

 

[Keith and stuff]

This new regulation is going to increase the cost of meat and eggs. For example

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...cription-for-antibiotics-in-livestock-630927/

Christine Hoang of the American Veterinary Medical Association said her organization supported the new rules, although she said some remote or small farmers might have trouble abiding by the rules, since there are fewer than 10,000 large-animal veterinarians in the United States.

But R.C. Hunt, president of the National Pork Producers Council, said small farmers and ranchers would have a hard time following the new rules, which "could eliminate antibiotics uses that are extremely important to the health of animals."

 

[luctor-et-emergo]

Well one of the main reasons why antibiotics stop working...
Is people put antibiotics in anything that doesn't look 100% okay.

So from this point of view it's very interesting. Although it would be better if the public could simply choose to buy their meat from a responsible farmer. There was some antibiotic resistant bacteria in chicken meat here in Europe.. Nearly all chickens that were non-organic had this bacteria in them (those are fed antibiotics on default), this was over 90%. In organic raised chickens, it was under 5% that carried this bacteria.

From my perspective, any reduction in the use of antibiotics is good. The more we use them, the more likely they are to stop working. And then we have to find another antibiotic again...

But this is one thing the government certainly does NOT have to do. In the Netherlands/Europe they found a semi-fascist way to resolve this problem. There's a member funded regulator called 'SKAL', although they receive their rules and authority from the European union, the actual organization is funded by the farmers that want to use the 'SKAL' label(organic equivalent). So I'm glad something like this exists, although some of the rules are just making the whole 'organic' thing mega expensive. One example, a chicken that's raised organically can't get antibiotics or hormones, it has to eat 100% organic varied foods and has to have around 10sqft indoor space and 40sqft outdoor space, about 60 times as much as a factory farmed chicken. But it's only 4 times as expensive in the end... (and for some weird reason the farmer also makes more).

Anyways, the only thing that appears to be missing over here, is competition in labels. So the market and the people can choose. I definitely see people interested in where their food comes from again.. Which is a good thing.

 

[LibertyEagle]

This new regulation is going to increase the cost of meat and eggs.

Yup. This new requirement is not good at all.

 

[Brett85]

I'll bet there are better ways to solve this problem. However, if this law is actually enforced, it could be positive. If it prevents farmers from pumping up its animals with a bunch of drugs, then thats great. I'd much rather have REAL food.

It's official...this forum has been over run with liberals who only support Ron because of his position on foreign policy and the war on drugs. I grew up on a family farm, and I can tell you that the government doesn't have the right to tell us how to farm, period! Government sucks.

 

[Kotin]

It's foolish. Educate people about quality meat and food in general and the free market demands it.. Otherwise avoid it.. STOP USING FORCE!!

 

[angelatc]

It's official...this forum has been over run with liberals who only support Ron because of his position on foreign policy and the war on drugs. I grew up on a family farm, and I can tell you that the government doesn't have the right to tell us how to farm, period! Government sucks.

I am so happy to see all of us here in a single thread, finally.

 

[DerailingDaTrain]

I don't agree with the government doing this but I also don't like them pumping antibiotics into cattle so I'm split on this.

 

[Kotin]

I don't agree with the government doing this but I also don't like them pumping antibiotics into cattle so I'm split on this.

Thats how easy it is to stop your critical thinking process.. Who cares what YOU don't like.. YOU cannot force it on ME

 

[angelatc]

Like I said, there are better ways to do this. I have an idea that would motivate the market to eliminate fake food by themselves, without regulations. That would be the best solution.

However, as a consumer, I would appreciate being able to pick up any piece of meat and know its mostly healthy. Meat with crap in it may be cheaper, but it will cost you more in medical expenses in the long run. .

I don't believe the propaganda about medical costs. Again, Americans are living longer now than at any point in history, including the era in time when 85% of the population farmed their own food. Anecdotal evidence supports my case, not yours. I think that preservatives and antibiotics make the odds of meat being contaminated smaller, not bigger.

But more importantly, you're saying here is that when it really comes down to it, you don't really mind if the government takes away choices in the market, as long as you think society is better off as a result, using criteria weighed as you believe they should be weighed.

This is definitely the liberal infestation. When it comes down to it, they believe they are smarter than the rest of the population, and therefore it's ok to use government to do things their way. After all, it's for the common good.

 

[DerailingDaTrain]

Thats how easy it is to stop your critical thinking process.. Who cares what YOU don't like.. YOU cannot force it on ME

I guess you missed the part where I said I don't like the government doing this specifically because they are telling them they need a prescription. I didn't force anything on anyone and even though I don't like them doing this to cattle I don't support the FDA in this scenario at all. Just because I don't like something doesn't mean I want the government to create and enforce a law to stop it. So I actually agree with you.

 

[azxd]

Many have been trying to FORCE the FDA to make labels that specify "origin" a required thing ... Another cost to be incurred by the consumer.
This is no different, from a cost perspective, yet with the industrialized farming situation we now live with, it is very hard, if not outright impossible, for many to obtain food from a local trustable source.

I have no idea if this is actually a good thing, but when multiple States worth of consumers can fall victim to salmonella and other forms of bacteria, due to the large scale industrialization of our food sources ... Some form of control needs to be implemented.
A true free market, as it stands now, would bring with it hardship and death, long before the market could react, IMO.

 

[rockerrockstar]

Liberals voting for Ron is a good thing. I know I voted for Obama last election and considered voting for Ron in 2008 by write in. Ron dropped out and Obama had a much better chance to win.

Maybe there is other reasons they want to vote for Ron. I know for me it is the anti war stance, his willingness to try to save the dollar, get spending under control, Ron is the only one proposing real cuts, and defending peoples rights for freedom.

I consider my self more of a independant voter. I did vote for Obama last election but considered writing in Ron in 2008.

 

[dannno]

This new regulation is going to increase the cost of meat and eggs. For example

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...cription-for-antibiotics-in-livestock-630927/

This is how they run the little guy out of business..

The factory farms can hire a vet to work on-site and administer the anti-biotics to as many animals as they want.

The small farmer has to pay exorbitant amounts for legitimate use of anti-biotics on their farm animals.