Written by Katharine Richter
On September 11, 2015, the California legislature passed SB No. 27, which proposes strict restrictions on antibiotic use in livestock. The enrolled bill still needs to be signed by
California Governor Jerry Brown (D) to be enacted.
The bill, if signed by the Governor, would become operative
starting January 1, 2018. The bill would
prohibit “medically important antimicrobial drugs” from being administered to
livestock “unless ordered by a licensed veterinarian through a prescription or
veterinary feed directive pursuant to a veterinarian-client-patient
relationship.” The bill would not allow
the administration of antibiotics if the only purpose is “weight gain or improving
feed efficiency.”
The bill further requires that the California Department of
Food and Agriculture (CDFA) develop antimicrobial guidelines and best
management practices. CDFA will also be in
charge of surveillance and gathering information. Any violators will be “subject to a civil
penalty of up to $250 for each day a violation occurs.” A second and subsequent violations will be
increased to a “fine of $500 for each day a violation occurs.”
According to the Consumers Union website, this bill will be
the toughest law to date on limiting the use of antibiotics in livestock. The website states that “approximately 80
percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are fed to mostly healthy
animals…to make them grow faster and to prevent disease in crowded and
unsanitary industrial farms.” According
to a Food Chemical News article, industry groups “haven’t mounted strong
opposition to the bill.” Industry groups
recognize the need to address the future effectiveness of antibiotics but the
concern with the proposed legislation is the potential burden on rural farmer’s
access to veterinarians.
No comments:
Post a Comment