National & World Ag News Headlines CBS Continues Delaying Broadcast of Antibiotic Segment USAgNet - 02/09/2010 With CBS Evening News delaying its broadcast segment on antibiotic use in food-animal production, national pork and beef producer groups are not wasting time. "You need to contact your lawmakers and urge them not to support H.R. 1549/S. 619," the National Pork Producers Council told its members. "Reiterate to them that there's no proof that antibiotic use on farms significantly increases resistant bacteria in humans and no indication that this legislation will slow the development of resistant bugs." (Producers can link to NPPC for more direction on recommended action.) www.nppc.org CattleNetwork.com reports that nearly a year ago legislation was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives titled the "Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act." Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) introduced the bill and has held hearings on the matter. In the Senate, the late Edward Kennedy and 17 cosponsors drafted a similar bill. The animal-agriculture industries are concerned that CBS's upcoming reports, now scheduled for Feb. 9-10, along with other recent newspaper and magazine articles and broadcasts (such as ABC Nightline's look at the dairy sector) might spark action on the legislation. Representatives of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) and Michael Apley, DVM, Kansas State University veterinary clinical pharmacologist, this week visited with Slaughter and other congressional staff to express concerns about the legislation. Copyright © 2010 - USAgNet.com. All Rights Reserved.