The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) opposes the bill, known as the "Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009."

"We're concerned with the broad brush ban on antibiotics," says Dr. Ashley Shelton, assistant director of the AVMA Governmental Relations Division (GRD). "We're obviously concerned with the increase in animal disease and death a broad brush ban of antibiotics would mean, which is an unfortunate consequence of this bill."

The topic of antimicrobial use spurred hours of discussion at the recently concluded AVMA meeting with no real answers. Neither government nor agriculture is waiting around for an opinion.

The bill, introduced in March by Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-N.Y., cites several findings to support the proposed regulations, including those from a 2001 federal interagency task force that say "antibiotic resistance is a growing menace to all people and poses a serious threat to public health" and "if current trends continue, treatments for common infections will become increasingly limited and expensive, and, in some cases, nonexistent."

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree.

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Source and photo: dvm360.com