Vet News AVMA vs. AVMA over the Pew Commission’s report on industrial animal agriculture

There’s a storm brewing in Washington D.C., and it’s nothing to do with the hurly-burly town hall meetings on healthcare reform. While the battle rages in congressional circles on the merits and pitfalls of revamping how we bring modern medicine to the masses, legislation to minimize antimicrobial use in industrial animals soldiers on.

Though it’s happening mostly under the average American's radar, veterinarian members of the AVMA are keeping a close eye on the law’s progress...and lobbying HARD against it. This, despite an impressive, two year-long report (PDF) criticizing modern industrial animal agriculture for imposing “unintended” negative environmental, cultural and welfare consequences––while effectively questioning our food supply’s very sustainability.

A slew of recent ads advanced by the authors of the report, the Pew Commission on Industrial Animal Agriculture in cooperation with John Hopkins’ public health department, urges congress to impose strict limits on the use of antimicrobials (antibiotics) for non-therapeutic measures (for prevention and growth promotion) in food animals. The FDA agrees. The AMA agrees. The United Nations agrees. The World Health Organization agrees. And yet the AVMA vociferously disagrees.

Why should YOU care?

Make no mistake, this legislation speaks to the mere tip of the iceberg when it comes to industrial animal agriculture...but it promises to destabilize the whole shebang below the waterline, too. It’s a BIG deal that few outside the relatively small community of ag industry watchers seem to realize.

Predictably, perhaps, food animal veterinarians are enraged over the issue. They believe this legislation is a Trojan horse. Because banning antibiotics (a popular position with the public) threatens the very survival of the current paradigm that allows bigger, better, faster and cheaper animal protein to arrive at a supermarket near you.

Remember Y2K? That’s the argument many food animal veterinarians are advancing––at least the ones at the top level of the AVMA. This should be a non-issue, all this flak and fear over antimicrobial feed additives. After all, these antibiotics are NOT non-therapeutic, they argue––they keep sub-clinical infections at bay.

Further, they claim antibiotic administration in food animal production does NOT affect public health. In fact, banning it would bring more bacteria to the dinner table. It would mean more animal death. So let’s not kneejerk this one––not if you really care about animal welfare.

And the kicker? They claim the report is not science based. Instead, it trades on the romantic notion of small animal farms and the theoretical threat of antibiotic resistance. That’s what they say in this document decrying Pew’s findings. Here’s an excerpt:

“Both in substance and in approach, therefore, the Pew report contains significant flaws and major deviations from both science and reality. These missteps lead to dangerous and under-informed recommendations about the nature of our food system—and shocking recommendations for interventions that are scarcely commensurate with risk. The report is, in many ways, a prolonged narrative designed to romanticize the small, independent farmer, while vilifying larger operations, based simply upon their size.”

To be fair, I can imagine their arguments ring true from an ag industry veterinary perspective. Because when you look at industrial animal agriculture through the prism of, “How much can we produce, how cheaply can we make it, and how quickly can we bring it to market?” the food animal veterinary rebuttal to Pew sounds just about right.

As another industry watcher, Gina Spadafori over at PetConnection commented to me yesterday, the AVMA’s lobbying points are consistent with a point of view that myopically entertains only the economics of their own closed system. “They’re not looking at what’s coming out of the other end of the sewage pipe.” Because it’s not so much about human health or animal health, this food animal veterinary argument. It’s more to do with the money.

Yet much as some of us in veterinary circles might agree with Gina and advance our concerns at a national level, we’re often silenced––especially within the context of our professional organization.

Why? Because small animal practitioners don’t have a dog in this fight, it’s implied. You take care of your side of the industry, we’ll take care of ours. After all, we’re the experts on food production and you’re the experts on the squishy, small animal stuff. So don’t muddy you high heels on this one.

But the AVMA is not monolithic we argue. Veterinarians of all stripes deserve to weigh in––that is, if food animal vets are going to use our AVMA’s clout and coffers to oppose legislation. If they plan to apply the AVMA power-base as a tool, then they would do well to "take the temperature of its membership," as slow food and industrial animal reform proponent Dr. Susan Wynn suggests.

Ultimately, the AVMA’s position needs to reflect the larger membership of the AVMA, not just the industrial food animal contingent. If it did, perhaps we’d be moving towards a new, more sustainable agriculture without offering more proof that our professional organization reeks of dinosaurs and grumpy old white men who trade their coveralls for suits and ties at photo ops.

PS: I will begin reporting on my other blog's status here so you can check out the topic of the day––it's more "how to" than Dolittler. If that appeals, you can also sign up for en email subscription via the widget on the right side of this page.

Today's post? The greenification of petdom and how you can help.

August 31st, 2009

Add Comment36 Comments

It annoys me thoroughly, that every club, organization, union decides policy by the chosen few at the top and imposes the message downward upon the membership.

Is the regional or state associations discussing & submitting position papers? Does the membership submit individual opinions backed up with numbers?

It is always the voice of the loudest "proclaimed experts" that sway the members. Then when election time comes around, politicians take their place giving every single angle/position lip service and broken promises.

Barbara A./NH August 31st, 2009 01:05:26 PM

Of course, the AVMA's mouth is going to be where the money is, which is the food industry. Politics really disgust me. They very rarely have the public's welfare in mind. It always boils down to money.

Heifzilla August 31st, 2009 02:14:09 PM

Barbara: The AVMA leadership claims it's the other way around––they import the POVs of the delegates at the state level. These are, unfortunately, not necessarily representative of the AVMA membership given that they're largely older men––many from the ag side. They do the work, so they get their views heard. The rest of us have to find the time to participate. Unless we do, we risk stinking of the Jurassic...and of cold hard cash, as Heifzilla rightly noted.

Dr. Patty Khuly August 31st, 2009 03:06:09 PM

Dr. K: I hear ya, and I am in the same boat with : USPS, breed clubs/AKC, Humane orgs./etc.

The USPS is hoping to downsize 150,000 jobs. It is already down from a high of 800,000 employees to 650K. If we went to 5 day delivery it would save 22 million a week. The unions are against it. I don't see any alternative, and quite frankly see 6 day delivery as a wasteful in so many ways: fuel, work hours, in delivery and station/plant operations.

Over the past couple of decades we have sent our retirees on "vacation" as delegates to the annual convention. Some that have no clue to current conditions, nor exposure to the regional members. It is OUR damn fault, just as you are in the same pickle.

My only suggestion is to raise referendum issues locally, vote, and then hold your delegates to the will of the regional.

That is the perpetual problem, the working members can't get the time off, successfully lobby & use needed time on issues, until they too become the retirees. I just HATE it!

Barb A./NH August 31st, 2009 03:31:07 PM

I appreciate this blog post.

You do have a dog in this fight, or at least you should.

When the AVMA promotes positions like this, it has nothing to do with anything resembling legitimate practice of "veterinary medicine."

I know that the AVMA is busy marketing itself as the "go to" resource, the ORACLE, for all things having to do with animals in our society. That has a lot more to do with a desire to see the financial interests of "veterinarians" promoted under the misleading guise of "animal welfare" than it does with any objective viewpoint informed by vet med -- and the agribusiness interests in vet med are chief among those who want to make sure AVMA is considered the pre-eminent voice on all animal matters. To defend themselves against the movements they KNOW are coming. This still holds sway -- good luck getting any animal-related legislation passed without organized vet med supporting your position!

Small animal vets are in touch,through their clientele, with the majority of the publc who actually CARE about animals, and although most people are not vegetarian, most also cannot bear to take an honest look at how "farm animals" are treated. They turn away from it in horror. They tell pretty little lies to themselves and the industry AND advertising support those false visions. I think of Perdue chicken's commercial - Gladys in the barn with the laptop, asking for corndogs. I reality, Gladys can't take more than 2 or 3 steps because she's bred to be so big that she can't walk, she doesn't see sun, much less a laptop, and spends her days inhaling stench, packed in with thousands just like her.

The use of antibiotics just allows -- as you said - - these intensive factory farming practices to continue. Agribusiness may think that abusing animals in this way is a win-win: They make more profits, and give the public what it wants -- cheap meat.

But there are costs, beyond animal suffering. Health costs. We are already paying them.

Frankly, IMHO, AVMA is a joke on issues of BOTH animal welfare AND human health. The convoluted, twisted illogic they espouse on issues like foie gras would be laughable, if it weren't so immoral.

I recommend Food Inc the movie to everyone. Also, the Corporation (a much older film that really goes on too long, but the part about milk and dairy cows and BST -- wow! eye opener).

Stefani August 31st, 2009 05:44:12 PM

Thanks for plugging Food Inc., Stefani. And for the Corporation recc. I'll check it out.

Interestingly, AVMA has made some welfare moves lately (not sure I can call them "strides", as they're somewhat lukewarm), yet most have been in the small animal arena. Surprise!

Dr. Patty Khuly August 31st, 2009 05:59:58 PM

Oh gosh,Let me go one step further: in some states it is probably somewhat prestigious to be active and involved in your local VMA---in New Hampshire, you are elevated to officer status, by committing cruel atrocities , for example Cathy Gajewski, DVM now named : President-elect, membership chairman, and ok...are you ready for this...ETHICS committee

http://www.nhvma.unh.edu/new_page_2officers.htm

Sure takes heaps of ethics to know humane vs. inhumane euthanasia. Wonder how many NH vets belong to their local chapter? I would be embarrassed, for sure.

Notice the unh part of the url? http://www.nhvma.unh.edu/ I sure as hell hope that our state isn't sponsoring a private organization...

but why not? They sponsor all kinds of corruption in the pet med dept. Sorry, sometimes can't help the sarcasm

Barb A./NH August 31st, 2009 06:33:27 PM

In Europe use of antibiotics is banned for non terapeutic use in farming. And intensive farming continues, only with a bit more attention and slightly higer prices for the end product.

Antibiotic resistance should be the main concern here, even more than animal welfare or other health considerations

The terapeutic use is already high enough. Pig farmers in the Netherland that need to go to hospital are routinely considered as MRSA contaminates and kept away from other patients, Dutch hospitals are very aggressive in preventing MRSA spread. Most of them are, past use of antibiotics is probably the reason. In fact pig farmers all over the world have much higer prevalence of MRSA then the rest of the population.

stefafra September 2nd, 2009 07:12:46 PM

"AVMA", that is the small cadre of veterinarians purporting to speak for all 78,000 of us, have commited a tactical error that threatens companion animal medicine. Every year across this nation, state associations are making the argument in court that allied professions should not be allowed to practice their art because a trained licensed veterinarian is needed. Examples of these cases include: physical therapy, dental hygiene, chiropracty, etc.

The AVMA has just told Congress that a trained licensed veterinarian is not necessary to protect public health relative to introducing antimicrobials into the food supply, even though there is a increasing incidence of antimicrobial resistance, killing more Americans each year than HIV/AIDS.

If we are not needed for such an important public health concern, then how do we continue to justify keeping the other professions out of our sand box??

If veterinarians are unwilling or unable to provide better oversight of the use of these drug agents, then there is likely to be legistlation that outright bans the use of the drugs in veterinary medicine.

We must set the record straight an push back against the "AVMA" that purports to speak for all of us.

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AVMA vs. AVMA over the Pew Commission's report on industrial animal agriculture. Very useful information, thanks

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