Save the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act

Bad news: The Maryland Department of Agriculture has enacted regulations for the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act which undermine the intent of the law and will likely fail to stop the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria on Maryland farms.

Good news: Maryland legislators have introduced an update to the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act to force MDA to properly implement the law.

Tell Governor Hogan and your state legislators: Please save the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act!

Subject:

Your Letter:

I was proud of Maryland when the General Assembly passed this law to address the overuse of antibiotics on farms in the state.

We are facing an urgent antibiotic resistance crisis, fueled in part by widespread overuse of antibiotics in meat production. The use of antibiotics on animals that are not sick is contributing to the rise of antibiotic resistant infections, which already kill more that 23,000 people in the United States every year.

The intent of the law passed by the General Assembly is clear: to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in livestock. Unfortunately. the regulations from the Md. Dept. of Agriculture undermine the intent of the law. I am writing to ask that you support the bill introduced by Senator Pinsky and Delegate Love to ensure the law is properly implemented.

The updated law adds definitions to clarify what is inappropriate antibiotic use so we can ensure that antibiotics are used only as a last resort -- when animals are sick or in need of surgery. It also requires owners to report the use of medically important antibiotics on a yearly basis to ensure compliance with the law and track progress.

You can help make sure that antibiotics work for future generations by strengthening supporting the updated Keep Antibiotics Effective Act (SB471/HB652)

Thank you,

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