AHI Lauds Funding of Antibiotic Data Collection

AHI Lauds Funding of Antibiotic Data Collection

USDA program supported by wide variety of stakeholders

Washington, D.C.,  May 4, 2017 – The Animal Health Institute today praised Congressional appropriators for including money for antibiotic data collection in the Continuing Resolution for Fiscal Year 2017.

The budget agreement contains $7 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct on-farm surveillance, data collection, sampling and testing to enhance the understanding of antibiotic use.  The USDA effort has been widely supported by both agricultural and public health stakeholders.

“This effort will assist policymakers in understanding the impacts of the FDA Judicious Use policy, which has just been implemented.” said AHI President and CEO Alexander S. Mathews.  “It will also aid veterinarians and producers as they make management decisions about the use of antibiotics on the farm.  We greatly appreciate Congress providing this funding this program to work in tandem with the steps animal health stakeholders have taken.”

Animal health companies, veterinarians and producers have worked with FDA to implement the agency’s Judicious Use policy, which eliminates the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion and places all remaining uses under the supervision of a veterinarian.  As a result of these changes, which were effective January 1, 2017, medically important antibiotics used in agriculture will be used only to fight disease under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.