June 29, 2020
A blog by individuals at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and CDDEP notes that approximately 65 percent of medically important antibiotic sales in the United States is used for livestock production. Alarmingly, 44 percent more of these antibiotics are used for cattle and swine production (10.8 million pounds) than for human medicine (7.5 million pounds), which fuels the spread of antibiotic resistance. Authors emphasize the need for reporting of medically-important antibiotic use and resistance among livestock- nationally and at the farm level.
