Olympia council, nonprofit lobby for ban on antibiotics for livestock

The Olympia City Council and a nonprofit came together Wednesday to support a proposed nationwide ban on the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, a practice that they say continues to threaten human health.

On Wednesday, representatives from the nonprofit Food and Water Watch delivered nearly 4,500 signatures to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s staff in Olympia, urging Murray to co-sponsor the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act.

Antibiotics are routinely used at farms to protect livestock from diseases caused by crowded and unsanitary conditions as well as to boost weight gain by the animals. However, the antibiotics are used to the point that the bacteria become resistant and subsequently hazardous to human health.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 2 million people in the U.S. become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria every year, and at least 23,000 people die from these infections. People are often exposed to these resistant bacteria through contaminated food. One common example is salmonella.

Infections caused by resistant bacteria can lead to more severe illnesses, even death as well as higher health care costs, according to the CDC.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized antimicrobial and antibiotic resistance as a “growing global threat.” The term antibiotic refers to a drug that treats bacteria, while antimicrobial drugs attack a broader list of micro-organisms.

In February, the Olympia City Council passed a resolution to support a nationwide ban on the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics on factory farms. The council also sent a letter to Sen. Murray, urging her to co-sponsor the Prevention of Antibiotic Resistance Act and prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.

Olympia became the 51st city in the country and second city in the state after Seattle to pass a resolution in favor of the ban.

“The science is clear and the evidence is in,” said Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Jones, who spoke at a Wednesday gathering at Olympia City Hall. He also applauded any restaurants and businesses that are moving away from foods linked to the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics. “Olympia is not alone.”

Another local supporter of the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act is John Countryman, a Yelm resident whose granddaughter and son both suffered from an infection caused by the MRSA bacteria (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). MRSA is resistant to many antibiotics and usually causes skin infections that can be difficult to treat, according to the CDC.

Countryman has long felt that antibiotics are overused in the United States, and he blames this practice for the rise in otherwise treatable MRSA infections.

“People are resistant to change,” he said. “The funny thing about human beings is that they don’t see a crisis until they’re affected by it directly.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Olympia council, nonprofit lobby for ban on antibiotics for livestock."