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A newly filed regulatory appeal from twelve public health and agricultural labor organizations is demanding the US environmental regulator to stop permitting the use of antibiotics on produce across the United States, citing superbug spread and illnesses to farm laborers.

Farming Industry Sprays Substantial Amounts of Antimicrobial Pesticides

The agricultural sector uses approximately 8 million pounds of antibiotic and antifungal pesticides on US food crops every year, with a number of these agents restricted in foreign countries.

“Every year US citizens are at increased danger from dangerous pathogens and diseases because human medicines are used on produce,” commented Nathan Donley.

Antibiotic Resistance Creates Significant Public Health Dangers

The excessive use of antimicrobial drugs, which are vital for treating medical conditions, as crop treatments on fruits and vegetables threatens public health because it can lead to antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In the same way, frequent use of antifungal agent pesticides can create mycoses that are harder to treat with currently available pharmaceuticals.

• Antibiotic-resistant diseases impact about 2.8 million people and lead to about 35,000 deaths annually.
• Regulatory bodies have connected “medically important antibiotics” permitted for agricultural spraying to antibiotic resistance, increased risk of bacterial illnesses and increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Environmental and Public Health Effects

Additionally, eating chemical remnants on food can disrupt the intestinal flora and increase the likelihood of long-term illnesses. These agents also contaminate water sources, and are considered to damage bees. Frequently poor and Hispanic field workers are most at risk.

Frequently Used Agricultural Antimicrobials and Agricultural Practices

Growers use antimicrobials because they destroy bacteria that can damage or kill plants. Among the most common antimicrobial treatments is streptomycin, which is frequently used in healthcare. Figures indicate approximately 125,000 pounds have been applied on domestic plants in a one year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Regulatory Action

The formal request coincides with the Environmental Protection Agency faces pressure to increase the application of pharmaceutical drugs. The crop infection, spread by the insect pest, is severely affecting orange groves in Florida.

“I appreciate their urgent need because they’re in dire straits, but from a societal perspective this is definitely a no-brainer – it must not occur,” the advocate said. “The bottom line is the enormous problems caused by using human medicine on food crops significantly surpass the farming challenges.”

Other Solutions and Long-term Outlook

Specialists suggest basic crop management measures that should be implemented first, such as wider crop placement, cultivating more robust types of produce and identifying sick crops and quickly removing them to halt the pathogens from spreading.

The formal request provides the regulator about five years to answer. Several years ago, the organization outlawed a chemical in reaction to a similar regulatory appeal, but a legal authority blocked the agency's prohibition.

The agency can impose a ban, or has to give a reason why it will not. If the EPA, or a subsequent government, does not act, then the coalitions can sue. The procedure could take more than a decade.

“We are engaged in the extended strategy,” the expert stated.