USDA, FDA gather input on antimicrobial use and resistance data

The USDA and Food and Drug Administration’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a public meeting to obtain public input on various approaches for collection of additional on-farm antimicrobial drug use and resistance data. The purpose is to assess the impact of measures being implemented to foster the judicious use of medically important antimicrobial drugs for livestock.

The National Pork Producers Council stated at the meeting that the U.S. pork industry is supportive of collecting data on antibiotics use as long as the information is used to advance knowledge about antibiotic resistance and to help pork producers make improvements that protect public and animal health.