FDA Asks For Injunction Against Dairy Selling Drugged Cows

Logo Courtesy FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has asked the U.S. District Court in Michigan for a permanent injection against a dairy farm that the agency claims has repeatedly violated regulations regarding drugs in animals that were specifically intended for human consumption.

In the official news release the FDA alleges that Scenic View Dairy has ignored at least 11 warning letters sent over 8 years about drug residues found in the meat of cows raised and sold by the farm. While the use of pharmaceuticals like antibiotics isn’t prohibited, those drugs must be stopped before the animal is slaughtered so that the drugs can be “washed out” of the tissues and reduced to what the FDA considers “safe” levels.

Why is this a big deal? Well, there is some concern (and a growing body of evidence supporting the idea) that the over-use of antibiotics in animals may be accelerating the development of antibiotic-resitant strains of potentially dangerous bacteria. But that’s not the only problem. When drugs like antibiotics remain in animal tissues, those drugs often aren’t destroyed during the cooking process. When a person with, say, an allergy to penicillin eats meat tainted with the drug it can actually cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Source:
FDA. (2010). FDA seeks court order against Michigan dairy. (PRESS RELEASE).