An estimated 70 percent of the antibiotics used in this country are fed to farm animals for non-therapeutic purposes, to promote slightly faster growth and to control diseases related to overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.
Nearly half these antibiotics are identical or closely related to medicines for humans. This practice encourages development of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can transfer to humans through food, workers and the environment.
For several years, PCC has supported legislation that would limit the overuse of antibiotics in livestock and preserve the dwindling number of antibiotics available to treat human infections.
