Antibiotics Fed to Animals

The US Food and Drug Administration recently confirmed that the vast majority of antibiotics used in the US are consumed by animal agriculture, with 80 percent of all antibiotics in the US going directly to farmed animals. Humans consumed only 3.3 million kilograms of antibiotics in 2009, compared to the 13.1 million kilograms used on animals. New York Congresswoman Louise Slaughter plans to reintroduce a bill limiting antibiotic use in farmed animals. With research showing that antibiotic overuse in animal agricultures leading to superbugs, Slaughter hopes that reduced amounts will increase antibiotic effectiveness important to human health.