Help Us Continue the Fight Against Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs
Take Two Quick Actions!
First, send a message urging federal officials to take stronger action on antibiotic overuse as they update the National Action Plan to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria this year. Then, send a message to the FDA asking the agency to recommend stronger safeguards to Congress as part of the upcoming Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) reauthorization process. What is all of that? Don’t worry, we explain everything below. You’re going to want to stick around for this one.
When we talk about pasture-based, humane farming, we often focus on animal welfare because we care about animals, and so do you. But there are many reasons these farming systems are better for both animals and people, and one of the biggest is their relationship with antibiotics.
FACT works with farmers who raise animals in healthy conditions where they don’t need much medical intervention, but the truth is, most food animals in the United States are raised in giant facilities where thousands of animals are crowded together. Many cattle and pig operations house more than 10,000 animals at a single site. Under these conditions, disease spreads easily, so large-scale operations routinely medicate entire groups of animals with antibiotics, often for extended periods of time.
This creates the perfect conditions for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to develop and spread. These "superbugs" can move from animals to people through direct contact, environmental pathways, and the food supply. The consequences are serious. Antibiotic-resistant infections contribute to more than 35,000 deaths in the United States each year and cause millions of illnesses. While FDA action helped reduce antibiotic use in 2017, progress has stalled, and antibiotic use in food animals has been climbing again.
Here are the 2 main ways you can help fight the overuse of antibiotics right now:
The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB)
The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) is meeting in June to provide recommendations on updating the National Action Plan to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. This plan will guide federal agencies in their work on antibiotic resistance for the next 5 years.
You can urge PACCARB to recommend policies that reduce antibiotic use in food animals, including:
Prohibiting antibiotic use in animals that have not been diagnosed with an illness
Ending the continuous use of antibiotics in food animals
Establishing national targets for reducing antibiotic use
Improving data collection on how and why antibiotics are used in agriculture
Animal Drug User Fee Act Recommendations
You can also ask the FDA to support these same reforms through the upcoming reauthorization of the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA).
Every five years, Congress must reauthorize ADUFA, which requires animal drug manufacturers to pay fees that help fund the FDA's animal drug review program. In exchange, the FDA agrees to meet certain performance goals, including timelines for reviewing drug applications.
ADUFA has also been used to address broader public health concerns. During the 2008 reauthorization, Congress required animal drug manufacturers to report antibiotic sales data. Today, those reports remain the only nationwide source of information on antibiotic use in food animals.
Thanks to this reporting requirement, we know that antibiotic sales for use in food animals increased sharply in 2024, rising 16 percent from the previous year.
As part of the next ADUFA reauthorization process, the FDA is now collecting public input on what recommendations it should make to Congress. This is an important opportunity to push for stronger action on antibiotic overuse and antibiotic resistance.
Join FACT in calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal agencies to take stronger action against the routine overuse of antibiotics in industrial animal agriculture. It only takes a few minutes to send a message calling for stronger protections. If you want to learn more about antibiotic use on factory farms, check out this video made by our Safe and Healthy Food Team!