Antibiotics rule jars ranchers

Livestock industry representatives say new federal restrictions on uses of cephalosporin antibiotics won't have a large impact on operations, but they fear additional restrictions on antibiotic use in the future. In a rule set to take effect April 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is barring certain "off-label" uses of cephalosporins, a class of antibiotics used in both animals and humans. The restrictions aim to protect people from being exposed to the antibiotics in meats. Included in the ban is use of the drugs at unapproved dose levels, frequencies, durations or routes of administration, use of drugs in cattle, swine, chickens or turkeys that hadn't been approved specifically for that species, or using the drugs for disease prevention. The order doesn't limit the use of cephapirin, an older cephalosporin drug that is not believed by the FDA to contribute significantly to antimicrobial resistance, according to an agency news release. Veterinarians will be allowed to prescribe "limited extra-label" use of the drugs in livestock as long as they follow the general directions on the label. Veterinarians and other experts say the rule will likely have little affect on livestock producers, whose use of cephalosporins is mainly therapeutic. However, Bishop, Calif., veterinarian and cattle producer Tom Talbot worries that this may be just one of many restrictions yet to come. "This whole issue of antibiotic use in livestock primarily as it relates to resistance in humans is a very, very complex issue," said Talbot, a former president of the California Cattlemen's Association. "One of the things that concerns me is when decisions are made as a result of public pressure and not necessarily sound science." Thomas Besser, a professor of veterinary microbiology at Washington State University, said he's received many calls from people in the beef industry about the new rule, for which a two-month public comment period was set to begin Jan. 6. "I know it's going to make people sit up and take notice," Besser said. "It's not clear to me that it will have a big impact. If a veterinarian felt like he needed to treat something, it sounds like there's enough leeway to let them do it."...more