Call for More Oversight of Antibiotics and DDGS

P. Scott Shearer, Vice President

May 21, 2012

1 Min Read
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Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) are asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clarify its authority over and surveillance of antibiotic use in distiller’s dried grains with soluble (DDGS); what the agency would do to better regulate these residues; and, what FDA is doing to ensure appropriate use of antibiotics in food-animal production.

Slaughter and Markey said they were concerned that corn-based livestock feed could be linked to a sharp rise in antibiotic resistance.  Their letter to FDA said, “Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are a grave public health threat that is growing worldwide.  As the threat of antibiotic resistance expands, we must ensure that the unnecessary use of antibiotics in agricultural animals is minimized and FDA has the ability to limit their use if it serves to protect public health.” 

The advocacy group, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, earlier released a report, “Bugs in the System: How the FDA Fails to Regulate Antibiotics in Ethanol Production,” states: “Antibiotics that are used in ethanol production are ending up in a byproduct known as dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) that are then sold as livestock feed, contributing to antibiotic resistance, a growing public health threat.” 

The National Pork Board said the data from the FDA indicates there is no evidence to suggest that extremely low levels of carryover into feed cause any food-safety concerns.  A University of Minnesota study completed this year indicated that DDGS did not contain significant antibiotic residues to be of concern to livestock producers.  FDA has substantiated in two nationwide surveys that antibiotics are not widely used in ethanol production.

About the Author

P. Scott Shearer

Vice President, Bockorny Group, Inc.

Scott Shearer is vice president of the Bockorny Group Inc., a leading bipartisan government affairs consulting firm in Washington, D.C. With more than 30 years experience in government and corporate relations in state and national arenas, he is recognized as a leader in agricultural trade issues, having served as co-chairman of the Agricultural Coalition for U.S.-China Trade and co-chairman of the Agricultural Coalition for Trade Promotion Authority. Scott was instrumental in the passage of China Permanent Normal Trade Relations and TPA. He is past chairman of the USDA-USTR Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animals and Animal Products and was a member of the USAID Food Security Advisory Committee. Prior to joining the Bockorny Group, Scott served as director of national relations for Farmland Industries Inc., as well as USDA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs (1993-96), serving as liaison for the Secretary of Agriculture and the USDA to Congress.

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