Environmental Protection Agency Pushed to Halt Application of Antimicrobial Drugs on American Agricultural Produce Amid Resistance Concerns

A fresh legal petition from a dozen public health and farm worker groups is demanding the Environmental Protection Agency to discontinue permitting the application of antibiotics on produce across the America, pointing to superbug development and illnesses to farm laborers.

Farming Sector Uses Millions of Pounds of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The farming industry sprays approximately 8m lbs of antimicrobial and fungicidal treatments on US plants annually, with several of these substances prohibited in international markets.

“Every year US citizens are at increased risk from dangerous pathogens and infections because pharmaceutical drugs are used on produce,” commented a public health advocate.

Antibiotic Resistance Presents Major Public Health Dangers

The excessive use of antibiotics, which are critical for combating infections, as pesticides on crops threatens public health because it can cause antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Similarly, frequent use of antifungal pesticides can lead to fungal diseases that are harder to treat with present-day medical drugs.

• Antibiotic-resistant illnesses affect about 2.8 million Americans and result in about 35,000 deaths per year.
• Health agencies have connected “therapeutically critical antibiotics” permitted for crop application to treatment failure, increased risk of staph infections and higher probability of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Ecological and Health Consequences

Meanwhile, consuming chemical remnants on food can disrupt the human gut microbiome and raise the likelihood of chronic diseases. These agents also taint drinking water supplies, and are thought to affect insects. Often economically disadvantaged and minority field workers are most vulnerable.

Common Agricultural Antimicrobials and Agricultural Methods

Growers use antibiotics because they kill microbes that can harm or wipe out plants. Among the most frequently used agricultural drugs is a common antibiotic, which is commonly used in healthcare. Estimates indicate approximately 125,000 pounds have been sprayed on domestic plants in a single year.

Agricultural Sector Lobbying and Government Action

The formal request comes as the EPA faces urging to expand the utilization of pharmaceutical drugs. The citrus plant illness, carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, is severely affecting orange groves in southeastern US.

“I recognize their critical situation because they’re in serious trouble, but from a societal point of view this is absolutely a no-brainer – it must not occur,” the expert stated. “The bottom line is the significant problems created by using medical drugs on food crops greatly exceed the farming challenges.”

Other Methods and Long-term Prospects

Advocates recommend simple crop management measures that should be implemented initially, such as wider crop placement, cultivating more hardy types of plants and identifying diseased trees and quickly removing them to prevent the diseases from transmitting.

The petition provides the EPA about 5 years to answer. In the past, the agency prohibited chloropyrifos in reaction to a comparable formal request, but a judge reversed the agency's prohibition.

The agency can implement a ban, or has to give a reason why it will not. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a future administration, fails to respond, then the groups can sue. The procedure could take over ten years.

“We’re playing the prolonged effort,” the advocate remarked.