U.S. lawmakers want to curb antibiotic use on farms

(Reuters) - Two U.S. lawmakers are calling for action to rein in antibiotic use in livestock in response to a Reuters investigation showing how top U.S. poultry firms have been administering drugs to their flocks.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, (D-NY), said she plans to introduce new legislation authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to collect data on “farm-level antibiotic use.” The pledge was part of a letter Gillibrand sent Tuesday to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. In the letter, Gillibrand said that “the scale of injudicious use” of antibiotics in poultry production documented by Reuters “was staggering.”

Another member of Congress, Rep. Louise Slaughter, (D-NY), introduced legislation in February 2013 that would require drug makers, livestock producers and the FDA to release more data on antibiotic use in food animals. On Monday, she urged fellow lawmakers to address the issue at a hearing on antibiotic resistance scheduled Friday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on health.

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