US campaigners call for curbs on rising antibiotic use on farms

US campaigners are calling for government curbs on rising antibiotic use on American farms, reports The Hill.

Public health campaigners are renewing their call for stronger restrictions on antibiotics in food production after publication of a report by the Pew Health Group showed that their use was up 6.7% in 2010.

Laura Rogers, project director for the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, told the Washing based newspaper: “This report confirms what we already know — Industrial farms are using antibiotics on a massive scale that far exceeds what doctors are using to treat sick people. As a result, infections are becoming more difficult and expensive to treat. The time for the Administration to protect our health is long overdue.”