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A recent regulatory appeal from a dozen public health and farm worker coalitions is calling for the EPA to cease allowing the use of antibiotics on food crops across the America, citing antibiotic-resistant spread and health risks to agricultural workers.

Agricultural Industry Applies Large Quantities of Antimicrobial Pesticides

The farming industry uses around substantial volumes of antibiotic and antifungal pesticides on US food crops each year, with a number of these agents restricted in foreign countries.

“Each year Americans are at elevated risk from harmful pathogens and illnesses because human medicines are applied on plants,” stated a public health advocate.

Superbug Threat Creates Significant Public Health Dangers

The widespread application of antimicrobial drugs, which are vital for addressing infections, as agricultural chemicals on fruits and vegetables jeopardizes public health because it can result in drug-resistant microbes. Similarly, overuse of antifungal agent treatments can lead to fungal diseases that are more resistant with present-day pharmaceuticals.

• Treatment-resistant infections affect about 2.8 million people and lead to about thousands of fatalities annually.
• Health agencies have associated “therapeutically critical antimicrobials” authorized for pesticide use to drug resistance, increased risk of bacterial illnesses and higher probability of MRSA.

Ecological and Public Health Effects

Furthermore, consuming antibiotic residues on food can disrupt the digestive system and increase the chance of persistent conditions. These chemicals also pollute drinking water supplies, and are believed to damage pollinators. Typically poor and Hispanic field workers are most at risk.

Frequently Used Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Practices

Farms spray antimicrobials because they destroy pathogens that can harm or wipe out plants. One of the most frequently used antibiotic pesticides is streptomycin, which is often used in clinical treatment. Estimates indicate approximately 125,000 pounds have been used on American produce in a one year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Government Action

The legal appeal coincides with the EPA faces pressure to expand the application of human antibiotics. The bacterial citrus greening disease, spread by the vector, is devastating fruit farms in the state of Florida.

“I appreciate their critical situation because they’re in serious trouble, but from a societal perspective this is certainly a obvious choice – it should not be allowed,” the expert stated. “The fundamental issue is the enormous issues generated by using medical drugs on food crops greatly exceed the crop issues.”

Other Methods and Future Outlook

Advocates suggest straightforward farming measures that should be implemented before antibiotics, such as increasing plant spacing, developing more robust strains of produce and detecting infected plants and quickly removing them to halt the diseases from transmitting.

The petition provides the regulator about 5 years to respond. In the past, the organization prohibited a pesticide in response to a similar regulatory appeal, but a court overturned the regulatory action.

The regulator can impose a ban, or has to give a reason why it will not. If the regulator, or a future administration, declines to take action, then the coalitions can take legal action. The legal battle could require over ten years.

“We’re playing the long game,” the expert concluded.