By Eileen Buckley
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-955825.mp3
Washington, D.C. – Western New York Congress woman Louise Slaughter is speaking out against the use of antibiotics given to animals that end up in the food supply.
Slaughter is reintroducing a bill to fight the use of antibiotics in animals by agriculture.
The Congresswoman has confirmed from the FDA that 80% all antibiotics used in this country are given to animals, not humans. Those drugs end up in meats. "It would be like a mother sprinkling antibiotic on her child's cereal every morning in hopes her child would not get sick," said Congresswoman Slaughter.
Slaughter appeared as a guest on MSNBC Thursday. She said the bill calls for the phase out the use of seven antibiotics that are important to humans.
What we want to do in this bill is phase out the use of seven antibiotics that are extremely important to humans and their health," said Slaughter.
Slaughter has a degree in microbiology. She considers the overuse of the antibiotics in animals as the potential health crisis for humans.
Slaughter is pushing for the The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, a bill she originally introduced in 2009.