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1. Antibiotic Use in
Livestock &
Human Health
By: Logan Cowart
Picture source: https://www.mspca.org/animal_protection/farm-animal-
welfare-cows/

2. What’s the Issue?
● Antibiotics are fed to livestock to
promote growth, maintain health and
fight disease
● However, rising rates of antibiotic use in
livestock feed has led to antibiotic
resistance in humans
(Hakim & Ritchel, 2019).
Picture source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znnp-
Ivj2ek&app=desktop

3. Who’s Involved?
● U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
● U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
● Factory farmers
● Agribusiness
● Veterinarians
(CDC, 2020).
Picture Source:
https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2020/02/26/animal-
welfare-benefits-cows-farmers-and-consumers/4861547002/

4. Why is This an Issue?
● The current pandemic, COVID-19, has
raised concerns about public health
● Antibiotic resistance is just another
pandemic in the making
● Corporate agriculture is continuing to
give livestock antibiotics, regardless of
the risk it poses to our public health
(Aime, 2020). Picture Source:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/05/29/f
act-check-covid-19-caused-virus-not-bacteria/5277398002/

5. According to The New
York Times:
● There has been an increase in drug-resistant
infections and farmers were informed to stop
giving healthy animals antibiotics
● However, the Pig Zero campaign marketed
the opposite message and encouraged
farmers to administer antibiotics in order to
increase the weight of pigs
● Large scale industrial farming and antibiotics
have led to antibiotic resistance in humans,
creating a big public health crisis
(Hakim & Ritchel, 2019).
Picture Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/health/drug-
companies-antibiotics-resistance.html

6. According to Medical
News Today:
● The U.S. is one of the largest users of antibiotics
for food production
● Antibiotic resistance poses a serious public
health threat globally- China is also one of the
largest users of antibiotics for food production
● By using antibiotics in animals, there is a risk of
transmitting drug-resistant bacteria to humans
● Antibiotics should only be given to animals
when they are sick not to prevent them from
developing an illness or disease
(Sandoiu, 2018).
Picture Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/curb-
antibiotic-use-in-farm-animals/

7. According to Stat
News:
● The livestock industry is responsible for
creating a rise in antibiotic resistance in
humans, and can also help to stop this public
health threat
● If antibiotic use in animals is not better
regulated it could cause the most serious
diseases to become ineffective to treatment
● Farmers and the livestock industries need to
stop using antibiotics to promote animal
growth & use them only when necessary
(Plante, 2017).
Picture Source: https://www.hawaiipacifichealth.org/healthier-
hawaii/be-healthy/why-superbugs-are-super-bad/

8. Media Source: TED Talk
● https://www.ted.com/talks/gerry_
wright_how_can_we_solve_the
_antibiotic_resistance_crisis/tran
script?language=en
Picture Source:
https://www.ted.com/talks/gerry_wright_how_can_we_solve_the_antibiotic_re
sistance_crisis/transcript?language=en

9. Solutions
● Contact the FDA and USDA with
concerns about antibiotic resistance
transferring from animals to human
● Raise more awareness on the issue
● Try to buy meat that has a USDA
verified sticker on it
Picture Source: https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-
waves/2016/september/voluntary-labeling-of-chicken-raised-without-antibiotics-
has-posed-challenges-for-firms-and-consumers/

10. References:
Aime, M. (2020, May 01). The Next Pandemic Could Easily Come From Our Factory
Farms. Retrieved from https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/next-
pandemic-could-easily-come-our-factory-farms
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, October 23). Food and Food
Animals. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/food.html
Hakim, D., & Richtel, M. (2019). Warning of ‘Pig Zero’: One Drugmaker’s Push to Sell
More Antibiotics. The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/health/drug-companies-
antibiotics-resistance.html
Landers, T. F., Cohen, B., Wittum, T. E., & Larson, E. L. (2012). A review of antibiotic
use in food animals: perspective, policy, and potential. Public health reports
(Washington, D.C. : 1974), 127(1), 4–22.
https://doi.org/10.1177/003335491212700103
Plante, C. (2017). In the race to fight antibiotic resistance, the livestock industry can
be a game changer. Stat News. Retrieved from
https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/12/antibiotic-resistance-livestock-
industry/
Sandoiu, A. (2018). Medical News Today. Retrieved from
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323639
Wright, G. (2020). How can we solve the antibiotic resistance crisis? Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/gerry_wright_how_can_we_solve_the_ant
ibiotic_resistance_crisis/transcript?language=en