Just like it's an issue to overprescribe antibiotics to humans - especially with respect to non-bacterial infections (sorry, that Z-pack isn't going to cure your cold) - the same principle holds true with animals. Especially those we ultimately eat.
The FDA reiterated its guidance that livestock farmers shouldn't unnecessarily use antibiotics that are used to treat humans in healthy animals. The press release and link to the draft guidance is here. I haven't had a chance to read the full guidance document yet, but I certainly will. For the moment, I'll reserve comment.
I'm not one to scream for regulations to address every single problem, probably because I know a bit too much about how laborious the process is to get a strict regulatory structure to evolve with an issue, so I want to be sure I'm not misinterpreted. But... this is a good reminder for people to think about and pay attention to how things work in their food supply. And a good reminder for me to stop being wishy-washy about it myself.
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