Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) has asked the GAO to conduct a new study on the federal government’s tracking and monitoring of antibiotic use in animals and its efforts to assess and mitigate “human health risk related to antibiotic use in animals.”
In a Sept. 21 letter to GAO, Slaughter asked for a study to address the following areas:
Which data exist on the types and quantities of antibiotics used in food animals and on the purposes for which they are used?
Which further data do USDA, FDA and CDC believe are needed to assess and mitigate the risks to people from antibiotic use in animals, and what efforts are underway or are needed to collect these data?
To what extent is USDA monitoring food animals and meat for the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens like Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella and Listeria?
How effectively is FDA overseeing industry compliance with currently approved animal antibiotics and uses for these antibiotics?What is FDA’s plan and time frame for reevaluating the antibiotics (and antibiotic uses) it has approved for animals?
What efforts have USDA, FDA, and CDC taken to assess the human health risks related to antibiotic use in animals, and what have the assessments shown?
