The nation’s largest veterinary association briefed Congress March 29 on the use of antibiotics in animal health, providing in-depth scientific information on the necessity of antibiotic use for preventing and treating disease in companion animals and livestock.

Two educational sessions were held by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) with honorary hosts Rep. Kurt Schrader, DVM, (D-Ore.) and Sen. John Ensign, DVM, (R-Nev.), the only veterinarians serving in Congress. The discussions allowed congressional staffers to learn about when and how veterinarians utilize antibiotics to keep both food supply animals and household pets disease-free.

The briefings were part of the AVMA’s continued efforts to educate Congress about the complex and crucial nature of treating America’s animals, and how the health of those animals impacts human health, whether through the food supply or through direct contact with pets.

The AVMA is strongly opposed to HR 1549 and S 619, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). The AVMA’s scientific experts have twice testified before Congress that broad-based antibiotic bans, such as PAMTA, would have adverse effects on animal and public health