Stop the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms

antibiotics cow

"Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill."
—World Health Organization

In 2014, a string of increasingly dire warnings has emerged from the public health world: Due to overuse and misuse, the effectiveness of lifesaving antibiotics is at risk.

Yet the biggest use of antibiotics is not for people who are sick—it’s for livestock on factory farms. In fact, 70 percent of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are for animals, and is often given to healthy animals just to make them grow fatter, faster.

The result? Bacteria that come into contact with these animals mutate and become resistant to antibiotics, and the infections these bacteria cause — everything from pneumonia to deadly hospital infections like MRSA — become harder and harder to treat.

Oregon needs to act now to protect public health, and ensure that our lifesaving medicines will work when we need them most. Please tell your state lawmakers: Protect our medicine, and stop factory farms from giving lifesaving antibiotics to healthy animals.

Subject: Stop the overuse of antibiotics in Oregon

I'm concerned that the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms is putting our health at risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that, every year, more than 2 million Americans fall ill from drug-resistant infections.

The World Health Organization, American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, and other leading medical groups all warn that the routine use of antibiotics on livestock presents a serious and growing threat to human health.

Please take steps to protect public health and prohibit the overuse of antibiotics on healthy animals in Oregon.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Street*

Street 2

City*

State/Province*

Zip/Postal Code*