Video counters HSUS stance on antibiotic use

HumaneWatch, a project of the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom, released a video rebutting Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle’s assertions on antibiotic use in animal agriculture. The video addresses Pacelle’s claim that overuse of antibiotics on farms is a public health menace, pointing to recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that show nearly one-third of antibiotics prescribed to humans are unnecessary. A second study, by researchers at King’s College in London, found that about half of patients were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics by general practitioners, HumaneWatch noted. Pacelle’s statement that antibiotics are being given preventively on  farms is false, pointing out that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) controls the use of antibiotics on farms, and the drugs can only be prescribed by a veterinarian for a specific illness.