Regulators have found that some farmers are still using medically important antibiotics to promote growth in pigs, despite a 2017 ban.
Lisa Held reports for Civil Eats.
In short:
- USDA data shows some pork producers use antibiotics like chlortetracycline for growth promotion, violating FDA regulations.
- Public health advocates argue that many farmers label growth promotion as disease prevention to bypass rules.
- FDA and pork industry officials are investigating, emphasizing the need for veterinary oversight in antibiotic use.
Key quote:
“This is an industry that can take thousands of pigs, kill them, package them, and ship them in a matter of hours, but they say they couldn’t possibly track actual drug use. They do amazing stuff. They just don’t want to do this.”
— Lance Price, founding director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center.
Why this matters:
Continued misuse of antibiotics in agriculture contributes to antibiotic resistance, killing over 35,000 Americans annually and endangering effective treatment of infections in humans. Read more: Peak Pig: Read our full series on the fight for the soul of rural America.
