The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent layoffs have gutted key teams working to curb antibiotic overuse in farm animals just as the U.S. had promised global action.
Natasha Gilbert reports for U.S. Right To Know.
In short:
- Over 140 FDA staff, including veterinarians tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), were laid off in April under the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) restructure. AMR kills over a million people a year globally, and overuse in livestock is a major driver.
- Critics say the job cuts endanger FDA programs meant to reduce antibiotic use in factory farming and weaken upcoming guidance meant to rein in continuous antibiotic use in animals.
- The FDA's voluntary approach to tracking antibiotic use — funding academic partners and industry to collect data — was already shaky. Now, advocates fear it may stall or produce limited results, with little industry incentive to report honestly.
Key quote:
“It’s pretty hard to take seriously the idea that FDA is going to curb antibiotic use on farms when they appoint a former…drug company lobbyist as the chief regulator.”
— Andrew deCoriolis, executive director of Farm Forward
Why this matters:
Factory farms remain one of the biggest culprits in fueling antimicrobial resistance, routinely dosing animals with antibiotics not to treat disease, but to keep them alive in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. With these job cuts — quietly executed under a bureaucratic shuffle inside Trump-era HHS restructuring — the United States' already-weak oversight may deteriorate further.
Read more: Swine workers on front lines in fight against antibiotic resistance
