California forbids feeding animals antibiotics

California Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday approved a bill that sets the most stringent US government standards for the use of antibiotics in livestock production.

“Science shows that the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture has contributed to undermining decades of medical advances,” Brown said in a statement.

Approximately 70 percent of the antibiotics used to treat people are used in the production of meat and dairy products. Over time, bacteria “get used to”, mutate and become resistant to these antibiotics. Thus, a sick person who has contracted such a bacterial infection will no longer be cured by the old, proven antibiotic.

As a result, 23 has thousands of deaths in the United States alone. British scientists estimate that by 2050, drug-resistant infections will kill more people than cancer.

Given the seriousness of the issue, other states may follow the example of California and also tighten the use of antibiotics.

Veterinary use of antibiotics is legal. As a rule, they are used in three cases: for the treatment of sick animals, for the prevention of the spread of infections, and during feeding of animals.

However, as human infections with antibiotic-adapted bacteria rise, consumer groups, public health experts and investors are becoming more critical of the practice of routinely feeding them to chickens and livestock, he writes. Vox.

California is the third largest US state in terms of meat, milk, eggs, and other livestock products.

The law, which comes into force on January 1 2018, limits the constant use of antibiotics for the prevention of disease and prohibits the use of antibiotics for feeding animals.

The law also aims to stop direct sales of antibiotics for use in livestock. Under the new rules, antibiotics will have to be ordered by a licensed veterinarian.

In addition, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will be required to monitor the sale and use of antibiotics. CDFA will be empowered to collect information on the use of antibiotics in livestock production and to develop best practices.

Major restaurants and retailers followed pioneers such as the Whole Foods Market and Chipotle Mexican Grill, and adopted a strict corporate policy regarding antibiotics.

The US Council for the Conservation of Natural Resources (NRDC) and the coalition of health, business, agriculture, environmental protection organizations and consumer rights supported the new law, against which there was no strong public opposition, writes Argo2B.

Earlier California Governor allowed euthanasia. He signed a law allowing doctors to prescribe life-threatening pharmaceuticals to end their lives.