FDA Says Antibiotic Sales Drop 10% for Livestock in 2016

FDA Says Antibiotic Sales Drop 10% for Livestock in 2016

Russell Nemetz
Russell Nemetz
Hi everybody it's time for your Land and Livestock Report here on the Ag Information Network of the West-I'm Russell Nemetz.

Antibiotic sales for use in livestock has dropped according to a report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

On Dec. 7, FDA released a summary report for 2016 on "Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food Producing Animals." A key finding in the report was antibiotic sales and distribution in the U.S. dropped 10% from 2015 to 2016 for food producing animals.

Since FDA began collecting sales data in 2009, this is the first time that year-over-year sales of antimicrobials have declined.

In this past year's report it was also the first time antimicrobial sales were broken down by individual species.

In 2016, estimated sales and distribution of medically important drugs were broken down as follows for the major livestock classifications:

• Cattle 43%

• Swine 37%

• Chickens 6%

• Other Species/Unknown 4%

Medically important antimicrobials accounted for 60% of the domestic sales of all antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals, in 2016.

That's your Land and Livestock Report-I'm Russell Nemetz.

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