FDA and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk

New York Times, January 25th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/business/26milk.html?_r=1&ref=health

The Food and Drug Administration is concerned that antibiotics might be contaminating the milk of American dairy cows. This can result from poor management practices on farms such as exceeding the prescribed dose or injecting a drug into muscle instead of a vein. Consequently, the FDA hoped to begin testing milk this month from farms that have a reputation of selling cows with illegal levels of antibiotics in them. However, the dairy industry protested this decision because it would force farmers to dump millions of gallons of milk while waiting for test results. This has forced the FDA to postpone testing, as both sides battle over how much danger the antibiotics pose and how to avoid drug presence in milk supply. Industry officials claim that this plan's goals are "potentially very damaging to innocent dairy farmers", while food safety advocates voice the FDA findings address the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, potentially causing antibiotic resistance in humans. The FDA plan has been heavily criticized by state officials and the dairy industry, resulting in a review of testing plans.

This article presents an issue that stands as a major public health issue for Americans nationwide. The overuse of antibiotics in dairy cows puts innocent consumers at risk for antibiotic resistance. Intake of contaminated milk products from these cows including cheese, yogurt, and cream - all threaten public health, leaving Americans defenseless against antibiotics that fight human illnesses in the future. Also, these antibiotic residues can cause allergenic reactions in sensitive individuals. While lawmakers are looking to curb the use of antibiotics in raising livestock for the health and safety of the public, agribusiness interests prevent any major precautions due to the lengthy time of testing. This article is especially telling of the role that stakeholders and interest groups play in developing sound public health policy and the controversy that policy-making is constantly surrounded by. It presents the argument that this testing would hurt innocent small-scale farmers, but in reality it would impact "big business" dairy industies that have been continually negligent of animal and human health hazards and environmental degradation resulting from their poor farming practices. These officials are more concerned about maintaining their economic interests, disregarding the unintended consequences these techniques pose.