Take Action: Save the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act!

Last year, with your vocal support, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act to prohibit the overuse of human antibiotics in meat production.

More than a year after the bill became law, without Gov. Hogan’s signature, the Hogan Administration finally released draft regulations to implement the law, and unfortunately the regulations are so weak that the overuse of human antibiotics on Maryland farms will likely continue. The good news is they are asking for comments on the draft regulations before they are final.

Take Action: Fill out the form below to ask Governor Hogan to protect public health by strengthening the regulations to address antibiotic misuse in livestock.

The Hogan administration requires a phone number to submit feedback as well as a letter topic, we suggest Health Care Issues. To increase your impact, please customize your message. This action opportunity is only open to Maryland residents.

In the U.S., approximately 70 percent of human antibiotics are sold for use on animals. These drugs are often fed to animals that aren’t sick to prevent disease that can be caused by cramped or unsanitary living conditions on industrial farms. This routine use of antibiotics contributes to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can travel off of farms and into our communities, and is contributing to the rise of antibiotic resistant infections, which already kill more that 23,000 people in the United States every year.

Ending the routine use of antibiotics in agriculture has been identified by the World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other leading health groups as a key strategy to fight the growing crisis of antibiotic-resistance. Antibiotic resistance affects us all, but especially puts the health of vulnerable communities at risk like children, cancer patients, and the elderly.

The clock is ticking: we have until September 4th to submit comments on these draft regulations. Please tell Governor Hogan to strengthen the rules.

The pharmaceutical companies that profit from the sales of antibiotics on farms are fighting hard to stop restrictions like the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act, but with your support we can protect public health.