California Senate OKs rules for antibiotic use in farm animals
Reporting From SACRAMENTO — The state Senate on Thursday approved a measure aimed at preventing the nonmedical use of antibiotics in farm animals in California to make them grow bigger.
The bill mandates that antibiotics be prescribed by veterinarians for medical uses and that drug manufacturers change labels for animal antibiotics to state that they are to be sold only by prescription.
Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) said he introduced SB 835 because of concern that the widespread use of antibiotics has increased resistance to infections that affect more than 2 million Americans each year.
“This is an emergent public health issue,” Hill told his colleagues, adding that antibiotic resistance is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s “No. 1 health threat for 2014.”
He said 70% of all antibiotics were used for farm animals, in many cases to promote growth.
“The more antibiotics are used, the more resistance will develop,” Hill said.
The bill is supported by the California Veterinary Medical Assn. The vote was 34-1, with Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) the lone opponent. She did not say why she opposed the bill.
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