This is important as giving prophylactic antibiotics to animals in factory farms has contributed to a huge and dangerous public health problem

Nicholas Kristof, New York Times



We don’t add antibiotics to baby food and Cocoa Puffs so that children get fewer ear infections. That’s because we understand that the overuse of antibiotics is already creating “superbugs” resistant to medication.

Yet we continue to allow agribusiness companies to add antibiotics to animal feed so that piglets stay healthy and don’t get ear infections. Seventy percent of all antibiotics in the United States go to healthy livestock, according to a careful study by the Union of Concerned Scientists — and that’s one reason we’re seeing the rise of pathogens that defy antibiotics.

“We don’t give antibiotics to healthy humans,” said Robert Martin, who led a Pew Commission on industrial farming that examined antibiotic use. “So why give them to healthy animals just so we can keep them in crowded and unsanitary conditions?”

Yes, you're reading that correctly; seventy percent of all antibiotics in the US go to healthy livestock..that is stunning.Of course, this is just the beginning to a safer food supply, but it is a huge step. Factory Farms will not take regulation quietly as Agri-business has been getting it's way in congress for too long. Factory Farms have played a huge role in destroying our environment including being one of the greatest emittors of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change

This is the kind of change we need. This won't be pretty and Big Agri will be fighting all the way, but I think this is the beginning of the end of Factory Farms as the incarnate of some of the most abusive practices to public health and our environment.

Some of you may know that I write a series Macca's Meatless Monday which advocates for reduced consumption of meat for environmental, health and other benefits. My position is that we all need to reduce our consumption of meat and I feel that need is urgent for environmental reasons but absolutely one should avoid factory farmed raised livestock completely.

ACTION ITEM: The best action one can take is to avoid factory farmed raised livestock or meat entirely. But you can also make your voice heard by commenting on the proposed banning of antibiotics in healthy animals

HERE

UPDATE Here is USDA./HHS response to House and Senate re:Antibiotic Resistance in Livestock