Concerns about antibiotics in animals

From the New York Times:

Administration Seeks to Restrict Antibiotics in Livestock
by Gardiner Harris

The Obama administration announced Monday that it would seek to ban many routine uses of antibiotics in farm animals in hopes of reducing the spread of dangerous bacteria in humans.

In written testimony to the House Rules Committee, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs, said feeding antibiotics to healthy chickens, pigs and cattle — done to encourage rapid growth — should cease. And Dr. Sharfstein said farmers should no longer be able to use antibiotics in animals without the supervision of a veterinarian.

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The testimony referred to above was submitted to the House Rules Committee, which held a hearing Monday on the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009 (PAMTA), sponsored by Congresswoman and biochemist Louise M. Slaughter (Dem. NY).

A video of the hearing is available on Congresswoman Slaughter's website, (or here -- video) .