A joint public meeting has been announced to discuss plans by the FDA, USDA, and CDC to collect data on antibiotic use in food-producing animals. The agencies have stated that such data collection would be consistent with the objectives of the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, which include tracking patterns of antimicrobial resistance; following antimicrobial sales and usage in farm animals; and management practices across species. FDA additionally believes that on-farm antibiotic use data will aide in evaluating the impact of Guidance #209 and Guidance #213. Specific objectives for the data collection plan include:
- Measure the adoption rate of recommendations outlined in the FDA’s Guidance for Industry #213.
- Help evaluate the success of various antibiotic stewardship efforts and promote their development and improvement over time.
- Investigate associations between antimicrobial use practices and resistance patterns.
The meeting will be held on September 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C.; registration for providing comment and attending is required. Full details on the agenda, registration, and providing public comment may be found here.
