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Posts Tagged ‘FDA’
Sunday, January 8th, 2012
In recent weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration signaled a major change to its policies on the use of antibiotics on U.S. farm animals.
Currently, humans consume only about 20 percent of antibiotics sold in the United States. The vast majority of drugs are used on livestock. Since the 1950s, American farmers have added various antibiotics, including penicillin and tetracycline, to livestock feed. Farmers insist that the drugs serve to protect livestock herds from infectious diseases and have a legitimate preventative use.
Opponents, however, argue that widespread antibiotic use is done to increase and speed up livestock growth.
Health officials are concerned that widespread use of antibiotics is leading to the creation of drug-resistant superbugs. Recent FDA reports have indicated that a significant amount of meat sold in American supermarkets contains drug-resistant bacteria.
Recent action by the FDA gives some health officials hope that the agency is prepared to issue major regulatory changes to the use of antibiotics on farms.
In December, the agency dropped stalled plans to ban the use of penicillin and tetracycline on healthy animals, a move that some say is laying the groundwork for a broader antibiotic ban. In addition, earlier this week, the FDA banned the preventative use of antibiotics used to treat human infections.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: antibiotics, FDA, superbugs
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Thursday, October 20th, 2011
According to Colorado agricultural officials, the cause of the recent listeria outbreak, traced to tainted cantaloupe from Jensen Farm, has been discovered. Earlier this week, investigators concluded that unsanitary conditions at packing facilities maintained by Jensen Farms were the root cause of the deadly illness.
The outbreak of listeria is the deadliest in recent U.S. history. 25 people were killed and 120 sickened across 26 states as a result of consuming tainted cantaloupe.
Part of the problem, some officials claim, is that Jensen Farm, which has operated for more than 20 years, was never inspected by the Food and Drug Administration. Many food growers are not required to submit to FDA inspections. While large buyers typically only purchase produce that has undergone Good Agricultural Practices certification and inspection, voluntary inspections and audits are frequently spotty. For example, Jensen Farms underwent and passed a voluntary audit in July, just weeks before the listeria outbreak.
While the listeria outbreak appears to be contained, many Colorado farmers are worried about the fallout. Cantaloupe farmers in the Rocky Ford area acknowledge that it will likely be some time before American consumers are willing to trust their cantaloupe. As such, many farmers in the region are reducing their cantaloupe planting, instead relying on other crops to get them through upcoming lean years.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: cantaloupe, colorado, FDA, listeria
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Sunday, June 19th, 2011
The Food and Drug Administration recently urged sprout farmers to be cautious about bacteria in their products. Sprout production requires warm, moist environments. These types of soils, however, are prime breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria like E-coli and salmonella, which also thrive in warm, moist environments. In addition, some seeds have nooks and crannies that can allow bacteria to remain alive even after pesticide treatments and chemical baths.
Tainted sprouts are one of the leading causes of salmonella and E-coli outbreaks in the U.S. and Europe. Recently, an E-coli outbreak in Germany killed 39 people and sickened over 3,000 others. After weeks of testing, German health officials identified sprouts as the cause of the outbreak.
In the United States, over 30 bacteria outbreaks have been linked to sprouts. FDA investigators traced the most recent salmonella outbreak to alfalfa sprouts grown by Tiny Farms in Urbana, Illinois. Inspection revealed a number of health violations, including runoff water from compost piles pooling near greenhouses and employees wearing the same clothing inside and outside of greenhouses.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: e. coli, FDA, sprouts
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Sunday, May 29th, 2011
Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture held a series of public hearings addressing a controversial regulation regarding catfish importations. Until fairly recently, catfish had been inspected for drug residue or other contamination by the Food and Drug Administration. However, the FDA inspections had been criticized as ineffective. In 2008, Congress shifted responsibility to the USDA, giving them a broad mandate to inspect whatever species they deemed necessary.
The controversy arose from trade agreements entered into between the United States and various catfish exporting nations. At question with the USDA inspections is whether they will apply to all catfish species or just those species typically imported into the United States. Trade officials and lobbyists for foreign trade organizations argue that the selective inspection by the USDA represents American protectionism and an unfair hurdle imposed on foreign exporters.
However, politicians, many from catfish producing states, argued that the ultimate goal of the inspections was food safety not trade barriers. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) argued that the FDA’s inspections were limited and that it made sense to give the USDA the authority to inspect and protect agricultural imports. “Americans must be able to trust that the food they purchase in restaurants and at grocery stores is of the highest quality,” he said. Others, like Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) argued that trade concerns should never trump safety concerns and that the American people deserved to know that their food is safe.
Also at issue was the danger posed by catfish contamination. Some trade officials claimed that Chinese and Vietnamese catfish did not pose a serious contaminant threat. However, professors from the University of Arkansas testified that the conditions at catfish farms in counties like Vietnam are often subpar, with fish often swimming in sewage and toxic runoff.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: catfish, FDA, usda
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Friday, May 27th, 2011
Environmental groups have sued the Food and Drug Administration over the use of antibiotics on farm livestock. A study earlier this month revealed that significant amounts of antibiotic resistant bacteria in supermarket meat. Staphylococcus aureus was found in 22.5 % of meat samples in Detroit supermarkets. Contamination ranged from 25% of chicken samples, 24% of turkey, and 20% of beef. Similar findings were reported throughout the United States and in supermarkets in Europe. While cooking kills the bacteria, undercooked and raw meat poses a health hazard to humans.
Environmental groups argue that the overuse of antibiotics is leading to the rise in drug resistant super bacteria. In a Washington Post article, the head of the Union of Concerned Scientists stated that heavy use of antibiotics reduces their effectiveness and endangers the population as a whole. Some groups estimate that almost 80% of all antibiotics used in the United States are used on farm livestock, more often than not used on healthy animals as a preventative measure.
The use of antibiotics has larger impacts than just the farm. The Union of Concerned Scientists, the National Resources Defense Council, and the Center for Science in Public Trust, all of whom have joined the FDA lawsuit, claim that scientific research demonstrates that the increased use of antibiotics on livestock makes it more difficult to treat human illnesses and makes typical infections more resistant to drugs. Some farm advocacy groups, like the National Pork Producers Council, however, argue that drug bacteria in animals are not causing infections in people.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: antibiotics, FDA
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Friday, March 18th, 2011
 Chesapeake Bay - farm loans In recent Congressional testimony, USDA Research Administrator Dr. Edward Knipling attempted to counter recent investigative reports regarding the dangers of antibiotic use on farm animals.
Last June, the FDA released a report claiming that heavy use of antibiotics in farm livestock was contributing to the creation of highly resistant diseases and infections. The heavy, and often unnecessary, use of antibiotics builds up a drug resistance in several infectious diseases, many of which could pose a threat to human health. In a December report, the FDA found the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in supermarket food across the country.
Responding to these fears, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-New York) recently introduced legislation that would limit the use of several classes of antibiotics on healthy animals and would limit the indiscriminate use of antibiotics on livestock.
Dr. Knipling’s testimony sought to allay fears of food infection. During his testimony, he admitted that there were problems with the use of antibiotics, but argued that “this is not as severe an issue as it might be otherwise portrayed.”
The National Pork Producers Council, heavily criticized in a recent Wall Street Journal article about antibiotics abuse, argued that claims of antibiotic misuse were not backed by sufficient scientific data. They also argued that data from the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System indicated rates of antibiotic resistance have remained relatively stable for the past 15 years.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: antibiotics, FDA
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Friday, February 4th, 2011
Turtle Farmers Say Ban is Unfair
Louisiana turtle farmers are unique in the region, blaming federal regulation rather than the Gulf Coast oil spill for their current economic woes. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, turtles were a popular pet in the United States. In 1975, however, the Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of turtles over four inches, citing fears of salmonella contamination. The FDA claims the ban has saved over 100,000 children from salmonella related illness.
Louisiana farmers, however, say the ban has had a disastrous impact on their livelihood. Concordia turtle farm in Jonesville, La., run by Jesse Evans, sells 2 million turtle hatchlings every year, but says that the ban is slowly strangling businesses. Half of Louisiana’s turtle farms have been forced to close since the ban and turtle farmers are suing the remove the FDA’s restrictions.
“Each year they told us it’s not good enough and here we are 35 years later, 98.9 percent salmonella free and it’s still not good enough,” said Eddie Jolly, president of the Independent Turtle Farmers of Louisiana. Jolly also points out that the ban does not restrict snakes and frogs who also carry bacterial contamination.
Despite the ban, millions of turtles are illegally sold, many of which carry illnesses they contracted in the wild. Dr. Michael Strain, Louisiana’s Commissioner of Agriculture, has argued that lifting the ban would limit the black-market, reduce the contamination, and would increase sales from $8 million to more than $100 million a year, helping the Louisiana economy. In the face of the damage done by the oil spill, many turtle farmers argue that losing another major business could be disastrous to the Louisiana economy.
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Tags: FDA, gulf oil spill, louisiana, turtle farmers
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Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft of the new policy goals for the use of antimicrobials in livestock production. The document may cost meat producers more money and generate more health.
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) reported that the document could cause an expensive review of previously approved animal-health products and may even eliminate such preventative measures may even become obsolete.
The draft outlines the FDA’s current thoughts and plans to assure that antimicrobial drugs are used carefully in agriculture. The FDA recognizes the current reason and need to use such drugs, but the agency believes there are other preventative measures that can be used.
According to the draft, the FDA wants antibiotics to be used only when necessary for animal health. The antibiotics should be administered by a veterinary.
Sam Carney, NPPC President, said, “This guidance could eliminate certain antibiotics that are extremely important to the health of animals.†He added, “FDA didn’t present any science on which to base this, yet it could have a tremendous negative impact on animal health and, ultimately, the safety of food. We know that healthy animals produce safe food, and we need every available tool to protect animal health.â€
The current draft outlines three basic principles that are considered “crucial†to the FDA:
• Non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials, or sub-therapeutic use for feed efficiency, “is an injudicious use.†The agency goal is to protect antibiotics that important to human health.
• “Medically important antimicrobial drugs†should be limited “to uses in food-producing animals that are considered necessary for assuring animal health and that include veterinary oversight or consultation.â€
• Hazards of antimicrobial resistance, including the growing emergence of multiple-drug resistance is “a major public health issueâ€
The draft will be discussed by various panels of officials from both the agriculture industry and government committees. The guidance does not enforce a law, but the FDA is treating it as it does.
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Tags: cattle, FDA, livestock
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Friday, August 28th, 2009
The Food-Safety Bill has passed in The House. The Food and Drug Administration now has more authority to prevent and stop food-borne illnesses. This law follows a large outbreak of diseases from peanuts, spinach, hot peppers and more.
The law passed with a vote of 283-142 and rural districts won concessions that exempt farms from paying registration fees, curb the FDA’S access to records and limit the ability to set production standards to foods that could easily be contaminated.
All farms and food facilities regulated by the USDA are exempt. The Senate will vote on similar legislation later this year.
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Tags: FDA, Food Safety, usda
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Friday, July 17th, 2009
The House Rules Committee did not let the livestock industry in when they passed the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009 on Monday because it is no secret producers would have a lot to say.
The banning of antibiotics on livestock is putting a big damper on the industry and most think it is bad public policy.
Jen Greiner, the National Pork Producers Council Director of Science and Technology pointed out that prior to the ruling antibiotics already went through heavy screening from the FDA and now producers have to wait two years for new reviews to be made.
If the reviews of antibiotics is not passed, the product could be pulled from the market.
“We estimate that a ban on antibiotic growth promoters would in the first year cost pork producers about $6 per head. Over ten years that would add up to over $1 billion in losses,” Greiner said.
At Monday’s hearing it was decided that antibiotics should be used online for preventing disease, but not for growth.
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Tags: antibiotics, FDA
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