Eating less and still gaining?
Churchill’s ship sails The first load of the season leaves port »
august 23, 2012
In cattle rearing, that’s a good thing. » PG 35
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SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 70, No. 34
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Crackdown on antibiotic use looming larger
2,4-D-resistant weed identified in U.S. Researchers call for compulsory stewardship
Public perception may be a more powerful agent of change than legislation in the battle against antimicrobial resistance
By Allan Dawson co-operator staff
T
h e d i s c ov e r y o f 2,4-D-resistant waterhemp in the U.S. has sparked calls for new rules governing how farmers use herbicide-tolerant crops. The researchers who documented 2,4-D-resistant population of waterhemp say new crops stacked with glyphosate and Group 4 herbicide tolerance must be managed carefully to avoid selecting for super weeds. “The commercialization of soybean, cotton and corn resistant to 2,4-D and dicamba should be accompanied by mandatory stewardship practices that will minimize the selection p re s s u re i m p o s e d o n other waterhemp populations to evolve resistance to the synthetic auxin herbicides,” they wrote in the latest issue of the Weed Science of America’s journal.
A plate which was coated with an antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Klebsiella with a mutation called NDM 1 and then exposed to various antibiotics is seen at the Health Protection Agency in north London. Scientists have for decades managed to stay at least one step ahead of the ever-mutating bacteria. However, resistant strains, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA are surfacing. Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett
See 2,4-D on page 7 »
By Shannon VanRaes co-operator staff
Publication Mail Agreement 40069240
M
anitoba livestock producers who fear a U.S.-style clampdown on their use of antibiotics don’t have to worry — for now. Ottawa is sidestepping the issue and most provinces are only reluctantly beginning to fill the regulatory gap, an investigation by the Manitoba Co-operator has found. But tougher rules that would more closely monitor, and possibly restrict, antibiotic use in livestock operations appear to be coming as concerns about antibiotic resistance grow. “It’s kind of slowly been
building, it’s one of those things like global warming,” said Dr. Glen Duizer, animal health veterinarian for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI). “It’s big and it’s been slow moving, but now it’s at a stage where for many of us... it has become much more significant in our minds.” The country’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Brian Evans, recently issued a plea to veterinarians urging them “to be vigilant in their oversight and to prescribe antimicrobials judiciously.”
Past warning
The U.S. has already moved past the warning stage. The Food and Drug Administration recently banned certain types
of antibiotics, such as cephalosporins, for non-medical uses in livestock. And earlier this year, a New York judge, citing the mounting threat of “superbugs,” ordered the agency to withdraw approval for non-therapeutic use of antibiotics — specifically in animal feed — unless drug makers can prove the practice is safe. But currently, the debate north of the border is on which level of government should be in charge of the issue. While the federal government monitors antimicrobial resistance, it does not control production, distribution or use of veterinary drugs in Canada. That role belongs to the provinces.
“It’s not just food we have to consider. We have to think about what is used in our pets, what gets out into the environment and what gets used by us.” Dr. Glen Duizer
“There certainly can be a gap,” said Dr. Marc Philippot, president of the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association. “If there is a concern with a certain drug, See antibiotic use on page 6 »
h o g s e cto r wo e s: Str uggling with high feed prices »
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