Proposed Ban on Antibiotics Riles Some
A bill circulating in Washington would ban the use of antibiotics for livestock unless the animals are ill.
Proponents of the ban say over-medicating healthy animals could create super-germs resistant to medicine. Farmers and people who work with livestock say the ban could hurt their business and that pre-medicating animals with antibiotics doesn’t pose a risk to humans.
Some say, while antibiotics can be a huge help, they can also be overused.
“It’s just an example of things being done in excess that I think really doesn’t need to be done,” says Karen Kershaw of Kershaw Stables in Milton.
Some of those in favor of the ban say more expensive meat could be a deterrent.
Farmers say the ban could be bad for business. They say it could cause death in herds and even raise production cost
“Oh, definitely,” says Skip Moore of Ocean City Organics who supports the ban .”The problem is cost. If you’ve got a family of four, it’s a big dilemma.”
A study by the Union of Concerned Scientists say that 70 percent of antibiotics sold in the U.S. goes to otherwise healthy animals.