Antibiotic Resistance and Animal Agriculture: Development of an Integrated Risk Management Strategy

Increasingly, the agricultural contribution to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is being scrutinized by scientists, policy-makers, and the public in general. There have been several calls to reduce or eliminate the subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in animal agriculture, and strong recommendations for the prudent use of antibiotics in general. This study will attempt to provide a summary of the scientific and public concerns related to the agricultural use of antimicrobials consistent with an integrative approach to food safety risk management, suggest guidelines for prudent use of antimicrobials in beef production, and identify the barriers to implementation based on the results of a survey of veterinarians, producers and feed mill managers.