McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

August 31, 2009

Rep says House bill harmful to cattle

By James Beaty

A Pittsburg County state legislator is joining another state lawmaker to urge Oklahomans to oppose a bill in Congress they say will result in the deaths of more animals.

House Resolution 1549 would amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to ban the use of antibiotics for use to prevent animal diseases, or for “nontheraputic purposes.”

The measure, authored and filed by District 28. U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-New York, is known as the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, or PATMA. The measure has 40 co-authors.

It’s horrible,” said District 17 state Rep. Brian Renegar, D-Blanco.

“You’ve got a New York congresswoman trying to tell us how to raise cattle,” Renegar said.

He said he’s urging Oklahomans to contact the state’s congressional delegation to oppose the legislation.

Renegar and District 13 state Rep. Jerry McPeak, D-Warner, both strongly oppose the federal legislation.

Renegar, a McAlester veterinarian, said they agree with the American Veterinary Medical Association, which Renegar said opposes the measure because it would result in increased animal disease and death.

He’s concerned because if it passes, it would put even tighter restrictions on the use of antibiotics.

“You can’t use antibiotics as a preventative measure,” Renegar said of what would occur if the measure becomes law.

“This proposal would be detrimental to my veterinary clients if they were banned from using drugs for prevention,” Renegar said.

“Specifically, the prevention and control of anaplasmosis, coccidiosis and respiratory infections would go unchecked.”

“In this county alone, we have ranchers that feed blocks” with antibiotics to prevent anaplasmosis,” he said. Renegar said that’s a blood parasite disease spread by biting insects.

“They can get anaplasmosis blocks that keeps calves from getting it,” he said.

“We’ve always had these safeguards in place, “ Renegar said.

“For more than 40 years, antibiotics have been used to protect our food supply and improve animal health,” he said.

“If this goes away, farmers and ranchers will only be able to treat their animals that get it,” Renegar said, referring to animals that are already ill with the disease..

Renegar noted that Slaughter has said her purpose in filing the measure is to help reduce the development of bacteria that can become resistant to antibiotics and can threaten humans.

Renegar said the same ban has already been put in place in Denmark and the Netherlands, but has not reduced antibiotic resistant patterns affecting humans.

However, it has increased diseases and deaths in animals, he said.

The Oklahoma Catttlemen’s Association, which represents more than 5,000 cattle-producing families, has also issued a statement opposing the measure.

“The OCA and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association are in complete agreement with Reps. Renegar and McPeak on this issue,” said Scott Dewald, executive vice-president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.

“Oklahoma cattle producers will soon be in Washington to lobby our congressional delegation,” he said in statement. “There is no higher priority for us than to voice our opposition to this bad public policy.”

Renegar and McPeak both said that the FDA already has measures in place to ensure that antibiotics for animals don’t harm public health.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

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