Keeping farm animals healthy and safe is important. But over-medicating them isn’t the answer.
The inappropriate use of human antibiotics in agriculture is seen as one of the culprits in the 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths caused by drug-resistant bacteria each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Estimates suggest that 70% of the medically important antibiotics sold in the United States are sold to raise chickens, hogs, and cattle on large farms. Shockingly, these antibiotics are often used routinely not for the treatment of sick animals, but to help them gain weight or prevent disease caused by unhealthy and unsanitary conditions.
Antibiotics are made to help us heal, but overuse speeds up the creation of resistant bacteria, which the CDC considers a top public health threat to the United States.
We must eliminate the practice of routinely giving human antibiotics to animals that are not sick—before it’s too late. The consequences are grave. Doctors use these medicines to control common infections and to help procedures such as chemotherapy, organ transplants and dialysis. Preserving the effectiveness of antibiotic drugs is vital to protecting both human and animal health.
Fair Farms believes that overuse of antibiotics is not healthy for farm animals, farm workers or Maryland residents in general. Join us as we call on industry leaders and government officials to stop this dangerous practice!
