FDA to Restrict Livestock Antibiotics to Prescription

In Michigan, it is already afgainst the law to give chickens medicated feed. I talked with the owner of a huge egg factory. There is no antibiotic in his feed. If he had sick chickeens, he has to get a Vet to prescribe medications and Vets cannot prescribe for any animal they haven't seen. If they have seen your livestock, they can get you a prescription months later, but not for an animal they don't know. This prevents folks from just walking in and getting antibiotics, etc.

Always amazes me when people automaticly see things as the big guy trying to shut them down.

The ag report I heard also said antibiotics were also given for that reason. And just for the heck of it. Now that is going to stop.

I think that might have been in dry cows or beef cattle. Quite sure there aren't any antibiotics in dairy feed.

We have to be very careful what we say and what we think we heard. It is common for people to promote their chicken as being, " free of antibiotics, growth hormones and steroids." as if commercial chickens have those drugs in them. Same for pork producers braging that their pork has no added growth hormones.

Easy for folks to assume that Factory farms depend on antibiotics to exist. They exist by strict bio-security procedures.

Commercial laying hens live in cramped cages, but they get plenty of fresh water, top quality feed and lots of fresh air and no medications while producing the nation's eggs.

I understand why some folks put small doses of antibiotics in feed, but I don't support it.

I also do not believe that medicated livestock feed leads to medication resistance in humans.

The reason Suzie is maturing early isn't because of any bovine growth hormone. It is because Suzie is so darn fat.

I did read the article and realize that they're trying to curb subtherapeutic antibiotic use. To do that, they want antibiotics to be available by script only. Their good intentions are going to bite the rest of us in the backside. Meat prices are going up as it is and this'll only make it worse.

Animals will die unnecessarily. Who has the money to call a vet out for a chicken, sheep, or goat? Surely not the small time producers. I think that the vet association is for this ban is that it'll bring them more money.

Stick, there isn't proof that antibiotic use in animals is causing human problems.

Seems to me it'd make more sense to ban the sale of antibiotics in animal feed. I do wish the government would just butt out.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

This will depend on the vet, I think. Our first contact with our vet came when one of our horses had an abscess. We had the farrier out because he was lame. He found the abscess and told us to get the vet out ASAP. We called the vet who asked us the name of the farrier. When we told him he ordered penicillin and banamine sight unseen. So, I think it will really depend on the vet.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

What I've been seeing says it will be drugs added to feed. It will be another bite to the little guy, the big out fits have their own vets on staff.

I agree Allen. I have a hard time even getting a vet out here at my location, getting a prescription? Pffft. It's all good though, I'll raise em organic and charge double... LOL

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Know why the middle class is screwed? 3 classes, 2 parties...

To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself. ~ Einstein

The factory farmers who grow the most of the meat consumed in this country contract with the meat packers- and the meat packers have vets on staff - who here really thinks this will do much to slow the agri-giants from doing business as usual? This does nothing but hurt small farmers and family flocks and herds.

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Zone 7B / 8A