APHIS Outlines Animal Agriculture’s Use of Antimicrobial Drugs

(AMARILLO, TX) USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently released the results of two national studies examining antimicrobial use and stewardship in feedyards and swine operations during 2016. The data will help animal health officials and the human health community better understand how antimicrobial drugs are used within livestock operations. The studies include details on what antimicrobials were used, why they were used and how they were administered. One key finding is the main reason for antimicrobial use in feedyards is for animal health, such as preventing, controlling or treating respiratory disease. The information will provide a baseline for how livestock producers used antimicrobials prior to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule change back in January 2017. The rules eliminated the use of “medically important” antimicrobials for growth promotion in food-producing animals while requiring veterinary oversight when using medically important antimicrobials in animal feed or water.