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Rep. King Strongly Defends

Livestock Antibiotics

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) penned a column in The Hill strongly defending the use of antibiotics in livestock production that has attracted notice on Capitol Hill and across the country.

“Chances are you may have heard about antibiotic resistance and the ‘threat’ it poses to public health. Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue. However, finger pointing and meritless attacks on America’s farmers as the culprit for declining human health is misguided at best, and at worst, a travesty,” King wrote in Tuesday’s issue.

“During a recent briefing on Capitol Hill, old misconceptions and half-truths were resurrected about production agriculture and the use of antibiotics used to keep farm animals healthy. Under the guise of protecting human health, the briefing was billed as a discussion about the economics and public health effects of antibiotics in food animal production.”

King said proponents of H.R. 1549, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009, “would lead one to believe that we can save money and reduce resistance in humans by banning uses of antibiotics in animals. Of particular concern is their claim that the use of antibiotics in food animals leads to diseases in humans that cannot be treated.”

King emphasized “there is no scientific evidence that antibiotics used in food animals have any significant impact on the effectiveness of antibiotics in people. In fact, an Institute of Food Technologists expert panel report revealed that correlating the risk of antibiotic use in animals and antibiotic resistance in humans is not possible.”

MORE HEADLINES

Summary of Major Issues for

2010 General Legislative Session

The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel provides a compilation of some of the key issues that the Utah State Legislature may address during the upcoming general session. The document can also be found HERE or online at http://le.utah.gov. Regarding agriculture, natural resources and the environment, it lists canal safety and stream access as some of the priority issues.

MORE INFORMATION

  • Ag in the News - links to recent articles on Utah and American agriculture
  • Read the Utah Farm Bureau's Booklet on the need to protect private property rights HERE. Be sure to contact your legislator to let them know how you feel regarding the protection of private property rights. The link above lets you search for your legislators using your home address. You can also search directly from the Senate and House websites.
  • Check out the Utah Farm Bureau group page on Facebook. Visit facebook.com and search 'Utah Farm Bureau' and you can join the group. This is another avenue to use to tell agriculture's story, bridging the gap between consumers and their food. You can also look up videos on the 'UtahFarmer' channel on YouTube.
  • Read Utah Farm Bureau Federation CEO Randy Parker's monthly column HERE.
  • You can now pay your Utah Farm Bureau membership dues online! You can also pay registration costs for the Annual and Midyear conferences. Visit the 'Membership' tab above to be redirected to a secure payment location.
  • The February 2010 Farm Bureau Newspaper is now available online. Also, the Winter 2010 issue of the Utah Farm Bureau Magazine is still available.
  • Follow this link to the Utah Department of Agrictulture and Food to get the most up-to-date commodity and market prices available, including many of the local livestock auctions.
  • Check the America's Heartland Web site for details on where and when the show airs in your market.
  • Idaho Public Radio presents the weekly 'Diane Josephy Peavey Essay'. From the ranch outside Carey, Idaho, the author of Bitterbrush Country, Peavey writes narrates a weekly essay, providing an insiders view of the joys, struggles, and adventures of life in rural Idaho. This perspective can be shared by many in Utah.
  • FFA students can go HERE. to learn more about the connection between the FFA and the Utah Farm Bureau, including information on the FFA Discussion Meet.
  • Participate in a survey from Dodge that seeks to get information on the vehicle buying habits of consumers. Help guide the way Dodge can offer you vehicles! Click HERE to take the survey.
  • Information on the 2010 Free Pesticide Disposal Event can be found HERE.
  • Discounts on ski passes for Park City Mountain Resort, The Canyons and Deer Valley.

  • Farm Bureau now has a new discount on cell phone service with T-Mobile. Discounts on monthly charges, equipment and set-up available.

  • All-Day passes for Universal Studios or Legoland make great additions to a family's summer travel plans to Southern California in 2009.
  • Hotel Discounts. 20% Choice Hotels, including Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn and Econo lodge. Save 10% off of the "Best Available Rate" for various hotel chains including Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Ramada and Days Inn with advance reservations.
  • Sears Commercial and the Utah Farm Bureau have teamed up to provide an outstanding new member benefit! This benefit is not available through Sears Retail stores. CLICK HERE for more information on how to order.
  • MORE
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