The federal Food and Drug Administration has taken a step toward reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock intended to be processed for meat, but its proposal does not go nearly far enough.

The FDA is asking pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily stop labeling drugs that are used to treat humans as acceptable for those uses in animal production. FDA Deputy Commissioner of Foods Michael Taylor said he believes asking industry to make the changes is the fastest way to help phase the drugs out, according to an Associated Press article. If the FDA made the process mandatory, he said, it could have taken years due to the regulatory process.

It is frustrating, however, to hear that the FDA is not taking a more stringent approach to this issue.

Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree pointed out in a statement released after the announcement that, “Drug companies can just relabel their drugs and say they are for preventing illness in animals or choose not to comply with that requirement at all.”

Americans have seen the detrimental effects of taking too many antibiotics for too many years. Superbugs and drug-resistant strains of bacteria are the result, which can be very dangerous for healthy people and fatal to those with chronic illnesses and the very young and elderly.

At its annual meeting in 2010, the American Medical Association adopted a new policy on reducing the use of antibiotics and educating the public on the dangers of overuse. In a statement about the change, the association said, “Over time, antibiotics lose the ability to treat diseases because bacteria eventually becomes resistant to them. Antibiotics must be used only when necessary so that we can prolong their effectiveness. ”¦

“The AMA passed policy to increase efforts to educate the public about antibiotic resistance and raise awareness of the lack of new antibiotics in the drug development pipeline.”

Many doctors are trying not to prescribe antibiotics for colds unless it’s a last resort. It’s common now to see posters in medical offices letting patients know that antibiotics don’t treat viruses like the flu. Posters created by the CDC tout, “Antibiotics aren’t always the answer.”

The problems we’ve seen in humans are surely taking effect in animal populations as well, since their bodies are susceptible to infection and treatment just as ours are. Using antibiotics to fatten up animals and prevent infection is not the answer. The answer is a return to letting animals roam and graze in farmlands, not live their entire, short lives in the confines of a cramped pen. The practices in use today for major beef, poultry and pork producers are unnatural and unhealthy, which will carry over to people who are eating the products.

The FDA needs to get tough on this issue, and follow up the voluntary compliance with real regulations to put an end to the routine use of antibiotics in livestock.

In the meantime, just as physicians have adopted new policies on antibiotic use for the good of the public health, so should meat producers. Compliance with this request is a no-brainer.

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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham Rousseau on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.