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US: Antibiotic use in animals harms people
U.S. health officials say there is unequivocal evidence of a link between overuse of antibiotics in healthy livestock and drug-resistant disease in people.
In a break from previous policy, they are recommending an end to the practice.
In nearly all the major livestock-producing countries in the world, farmers add small amounts of antibiotics to the animals' feed. It keeps them healthy and helps them grow better.
Public health groups have opposed the practice because bacteria continually exposed to antibiotics will eventually develop resistance to them.
Antibiotic-resistant infections are one of the world's most serious health concerns. Many factors contribute to the rising incidence, including over-prescription of antibiotics by doctors and misuse among patients.
But routinely feeding the drugs to healthy livestock to improve growth is also contributing, public health groups say.
The livestock industry argues that it's a long way from farm to fork, and there's no evidence that feeding antibiotics to healthy animals is harming people.