AVMA's Science Based Policies on Antimicrobials

Healthy animals provide healthy food.Veterinarians are the only profession that routinely operate at the interface between human and animal health. Food animal veterinarians are on the frontlines keeping our nation's food supply safe . Behind the scenes is AVMA's volunteer leadership working diligently to ensure that policies are based on sound scientific evidence. Antimicrobial use in animal agriculture is an extremely complex and controversial topic. There is significant confusion and misinformation in the media. Advances in animal health care and management have greatly improved food safety over the years and have reduced the need for antimicrobials in food production systems. Nevertheless, antimicrobials are still an important part of the veterinarian's toolkit, and veterinarians agree that they should be used judiciously in the best interest of public health and animal health. The AVMA believes that in order to effectively respond to public health concerns associated with antimicrobial resistance, it is important to broadly consider how antimicrobials are being used. As veterinarians, the profession must consider both human and animal health – recognizing that other attempts in reductions of antimicrobial use in animals has not necessarily provided a human health benefit. We must also remain cognizant of potential detrimental consequences to food safety in addition to animal health and welfare that might accompany these reductions. Therefore, the Association has cautioned against overly broad limitations and recommended targeted interventions based on scientific quantitative risk assessments. (Invited paper : Christine Hoang, DVM, MPH, CPH presenter)