Animal-Use Antimicrobial Sales Up; Manufacturers Report More Growth Use Of Lonophores
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The use of antimicrobial medicines for treating farm animals has increased in the U.S. by 2 billion pounds from 2006 to 2007.
Antimicrobial use in animals for the purposes of disease treatment, disease control, disease prevention, growth promotion, and feed efficiency has increased by about 5% from 2006 to 2007, according to information from the Animal Health Institute.
The increase in antimicrobial usage may be due in part to the fact that meat production in the U.S. increased by more than 2 billion pounds from 2006 to 2007. Specifically, the percentage of antimicrobials used for growth and efficiency rose in 2007 from 5% to 13%, although the actual change in use was likely smaller due to revisions to manufacturers figures from previous years.
Citations:
American Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, 2009 United States (National)
