California Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have restricted the amount of antibiotics given to poultry and livestock. Issuing a statement to the California Senate on September 29, the governor called California’s SB 835 “unnecessary.”
The bill was created because of growing concerns about antibiotic resistance. Had the bill been approved, it would have only allowed animal antibiotic use only for medical reasons. The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo.
“SB 835 would codify a voluntary Federal Drug Administration standard that phases out antibiotic use for growth promotion. Codifying these standards is unnecessary since most major animal producers have already pledged to go beyond the FDA standard,” the California governor stated.
“More needs to be done to understand and reduce our reliance on antibiotics. To that end, I am directing the Department of Food and Agriculture to work with the Legislature to find new and effective ways to reduce the unnecessary antibiotics used for livestock and poultry.”
According to a report from KPCC, the bill had support from members of the California animal agriculture community, including the California Cattlemen’s Association. It also had its opponents, particularly environmental and consumer groups that did not feel that the proposed legislation provided sufficient restrictions and oversight.
