White House Antibiotics Plan Too Weak on Curbing Misuse of Drugs in Livestock

WASHINGTON (March 26, 2015) – In response to the Administration’s National Action Plan For Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, which leaked today, Mae Wu, health attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), issued the following statement:

“More than ever before, the White House is acknowledging the dangerous public health threat posed by the misuse of antibiotics in both human medicine and the livestock industry,” said Wu. 

“But the Obama Administration needs to do more to reduce antibiotic use in animals that are not sick. The plan continues to allow the routine feeding of antibiotics to animals that live in the crowded conditions endemic to industrial farms.

“Our government should be taking steps to reduce antibiotics to protect our health, rather than protecting poor industry practices.”

For more information on the White House’s National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, NRDC’s take and more on saving antibiotics, please see:

• Mae Wu’s blog, “Breaking Down the National Plan on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria”
• Breakdown of Administration’s executive order, fall 2014
• NRDC’s Saving Antibiotics - http://www.nrdc.org/food/saving-antibiotics.asp