President Proposes More Funds for Antibiotic Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1/28/2015
CONTACT:
Theresa Twohey
Director of Communications
507-345-8814
theresa@mnpork.com
President Proposes More Funds for Antibiotic Research
Mankato, Minn.– The White House announced new funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration including $77 million towards research efforts to help combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria and $47 million to evaluate antibiotic stewardship in animal agriculture.
The executive branch last year released a report on strategies to address antibiotic-resistant bacteria, recognizing that the main drivers of resistance are “not completely clear” and that more research is needed to understand the issue. Other reports on resistance, including a recent one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have focused on antibiotics use in human medicine.
“The Minnesota Pork Producers Association strongly supports funding more research, developing new antimicrobial agents for use in human and veterinary medicine and identifying potential alternatives to antimicrobials,” said David Preisler Executive Director for the Minnesota Pork Producers Association.
The pork industry, through the Pork Checkoff, has provided significant research dollars to projects aimed at identifying products or practices that will help minimize the need for antibiotics. It also has an antimicrobial stewardship program, which is part of the Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) program, that provides guidance on antimicrobial use and includes on-farm assessments to measure the effectiveness of stewardship efforts.
Additionally, farmers, veterinarians and feed suppliers are working to comply with Food and Drug Administration Guidance 213, which eliminates the use of antibiotics for growth promotion that are important in human medicine.
“Pig farmers are always looking for new and better ways to ensure the well-being of their animals and produce a safe product,” Preisler said, “and they work with their veterinarian to develop herd health plans that include responsible and proper use of antibiotics to keep animals healthy.
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The Minnesota Pork Producers act with integrity to provide visionary leadership through advocacy for members. Minnesota pork producers work to establish the pork industry as a responsible supplier of high quality pork. Membership in the MPPA is through voluntary enrollment programs.