Pledge to Keep Antibiotics Working!

Take the Keep Antibiotics Working Pledge and send a message to President Bush, Congress, restaurants, retailers, and meat and fish producers that you support phasing out feeding antibiotics to farm animals and fish that are not sick.

By taking the pledge you agree to make every effort to purchase poultry, pork, beef, or fish produced without the routine use of antibiotics, such as those labeled "certified organic," "raised without antibiotics," or "no antibiotics administered."

Take the pledge below!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Keep Antibiotics Working

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness to treat disease. One reason is that the overuse of antibiotics makes disease-causing bacteria resistant to antibiotic treatment. Such overuse is widespread in animal agriculture. In fact, an estimated 70% of the antibiotics used in the US each year are fed to farm animals on a routine basis - not to treat disease - but to make the animals grow slightly faster on less feed and to compensate for crowded, stressful, unhealthy conditions. The American Medical Association and other experts oppose the feeding of antibiotics to farm animals that are not sick.

I pledge to make every effort to purchase poultry, pork, beef, or fish produced without the routine use of antibiotics, such as those labeled "certified organic," "raised without antibiotics," or "no antibiotics administered." I urge government officials, restaurants, retailers, and meat and fish producers, to phase out feeding antibiotics to farm animals and fish that are not sick.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
January 14, 2003


Background Information

Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness to treat disease. One reason is that the overuse of antibiotics makes disease-causing bacteria resistant to antibiotic treatment.  Such overuse is widespread in animal agriculture.  In fact, an estimated 70% of the antibiotics used in the US each year are fed to farm animals on a routine basis - not to treat disease - but to make the animals grow slightly faster on less feed and to compensate for crowded, stressful, unhealthy conditions.  The American Medical Association and other experts oppose the feeding of antibiotics to farm animals that are not sick. 

When you take this pledge you agree to make every effort to purchase poultry, pork, beef, or fish produced without the routine use of antibiotics, such as those labeled "certified organic," "raised without antibiotics," or "no antibiotics administered. Your choices as a consumer will bolster efforts to change public policies that currently allow routine use of antibiotics in animals that aren't sick.

Send a message to President Bush and Congress that it's time for this unnecessary practice to stop.  Keep Antibiotics Working will use your pledges to convince meat producers, retailers, and restaurants that consumers want to buy products produced without the routine use of antibiotics.  And to let public officials know that citizens are concerned and want them to do something about the misuse of these life saving drugs on farms.

We understand some people might find it difficult to support a cause working to improve a system in which animals are raised to be eaten.  Even if you personally oppose meat and fish consumption, we hope that you recognize the need to protect antibiotics and will consider taking our pledge.

Check out:  www.KeepAntibioticsWorking.com to learn more about this campaign.

Visit:  www.iatp.org/EatWell to find information on where to buy poultry, pork, beef, or fish produced without the routine use of antibiotics.