Cleveland Citizens Support City Council Ban of Antibiotic Misuse on Factory Farms

Cleveland, OH — Today at the West Side Market, members of the medical and farming communities and concerned community members came together to encourage local action on a critical public health issue. Concerned residents and community leaders gathered to support the Cleveland City Council in anticipation of their vote to pass a local resolution calling for a federal ban on the misuse of antibiotics on factory farms.

"The overuse of antibiotics on factory farms is making our families sick," said Food & Water Watch organizer Cait De Mott Grady. "We're out here today with members of the medical community, farming community and concerned Cleveland citizens to raise awareness about this urgent pubic health issue and to show our support for the City Council resolution."

The routine daily use of antibiotics on livestock, whether or not they are sick, is directly linked to the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which have become a serious human health threat. Federal legislation, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) in the House and the Prevention of Antibiotic Resistance Act (PARA) in the Senate, would prevent medically important antibiotics from being used needlessly on healthy farm animals. Food & Water Watch and local residents are calling on City Council to pass a resolution calling on Cleveland’s congressional delegation to support the bill. 

Currently, factory farms across the country routinely feed livestock low doses of antibiotics to compensate for filthy living conditions and unnaturally promote growth. The practice creates a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are responsible for two million human infections and 23,000 deaths annually, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September 2013. PARA would decrease the livestock’s unnecessary exposure to antibiotics, and help to preserve our medicine’s live-saving properties.

The resolution, sponsored by Councilman Joe Cimperman, is to be voted on at the March 3rd City Council Meeting. If passed, Cleveland would be one of the first cities in the country to pass such a resolution, continuing its long history of leadership on public health issues. The meeting will be held March 3, 2014 at 7PM at the Cleveland City Hall, Room 220 (601 Lakeside Ave E. Cleveland, OH 44114). For more information about the campaign visit: www.foodandwaterwatch.org

Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainable. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping shared resources under public control. www.foodandwaterwatch.org