FAQ

PART

What are medically important drugs?

Drugs that are classified as “medically important” have been identified through a process that ranks them in regard to their importance to human medicine. The criteria used for the ranking process includes how effective they are at treating certain human diseases and evaluating if their use will lead to antibiotic resistance. Rankings are; “Critically Important”, “Highly Important”, and “Important”. All veterinary drugs that are “medically important” are impacted by rules going in to effect on January 1, 2017.

Why is it important to track antibiotics?

Antibiotics are one of many great tools that farmers and Veterinarians use to keep animals healthy. Analyzing data allows us to make better decisions continuing to improve animal care and a safer food supply. Whether it’s genetics or feed intake, we use timely and accurate data to make decisions on what’s best for the animal. We are now providing data regarding antibiotic use.

What is PART?

Antibiotic Resistance is a growing topic of concern amongst healthcare professionals and consumers. With the One Health Initiative, we recognize that the human health community and animal health community must both make strides to minimize antibiotic resistance. As a leader in the swine industry, we want to provide Veterinarians and famers the best tools possible for responsible antibiotic use.

PART is a service offered through Pipestone Veterinary Services that provides livestock producers the tools for Responsible Antibiotic Use to enhance animal well-being and minimize antibiotic resistance.

PART allows farmers to Record, Review, and Respond for the Responsible Use of Antibiotics.
View the video below to see how it works!

Human Health

What is the risk of human resistance from animal antibiotic use?

Studies conclude there is a 1 in a billion chance of human treatment failure from antibiotic resistance related to the use of common animal antibiotics. To put that into context, today, you are thousands of time more likely to die from a dog bite or lightning strike than from treatment failure related to the use of antibiotics in animals.

What is the One Health Initiative?

The One Health Initiative is dedicated to improving the lives of all species—human and animal—through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine and environmental science. For more information about the One Health Initiative, visit www.onhealthinitiative.com.

What is antibiotic residue? Is meat safe to eat?

The term “antibiotic residue” refers to antibiotic chemicals remaining in edible tissues.
When animals receive antibiotics, the chemicals are absorbed into their bodies and it takes a certain amount of time for the antibiotics to be utilized and leave the body.

In order to ensure a safe meat supply, the Food and Drug Administration regulates the approval and use of antibiotics in animals. Farmers have to follow prescribed “withdrawal” times, every antibiotic has one. After an animal has received an antibiotic, an animal can not be harvested until the withdrawl time has expired to make sure the antibiotic has left the animals body. To ensure farmers follow withdrawal dates and our meat supply is safe and nutritious, the USDA monitors and tests the meat supply for antibiotic residues in the meat.

What is antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolves to the point that they are “resistant” or not easily killed by antibiotics.

What are antibiotics? Why are they important to my health?

Antibiotics are used to treat infections or diseases caused by bacteria. Antibiotics are used in both humans and animals when they are sick or injured to fight infection.

Animal Health

What is livestock’s role in antibiotic resistance?

In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control issued a study on the most concerning antibiotic resistance threats. None of the most urgent threats have any relation to farm animals. Although there is scientific acknowledgement that the use of antibiotics in people is the primary driver of human antibiotic resistance, we recognize that the Responsible Use of Antibiotics in livestock plays an important role in the One Health Initiative. At Pipestone, we are doing our PART to minimize antibiotic resistance.

What does “Antibiotic-Free” meat mean?

The term “Antibiotic-Free” when it comes to meat can be confusing. All meat & milk inspected by the FDA is free of antibiotic residue. Animals cannot be harvested prior to withdrawal times and meat is tested post-harvest to validate it is residue free.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates the approval and use of antibiotics in animals. Farmers have to follow “withdrawal” times after an animal has received an antibiotic to make sure the antibiotic has left the animals body before it is slaughtered. To ensure farmers follow withdrawal dates and our meat is safe the Food Safety Inspection with the USDA monitors and tests the meat supply for antibiotic residues.

What is the Veterinarian Oath?

Veterinarians take the below oath to protect animal health prevent and relief animal suffering, conserve animal resources, promote public health, and advance medical knowledge. What does this have to do with antibiotics? When an animal is sick, treatment with all antibiotics is the ethical thing to do to relief the animal from suffering.

Do animals need antibiotics?

Antibiotics are given to both humans and animals to fight an infection when they are sick or injured. Not only would it be inhumane, but it would be against a Veterinarians Oath to withhold a drug (including antibiotics) from a sick animal, allowing it to suffer.

Safe & Affordable

How do antibiotics keep food safe & affordable?

Health animals are the source of safe food. Antibiotics are a tool, used judiciously to help keep animals healthy. Studies also reveal harvesting healthy animals reduces bacteria entering the food supply. Antibiotics also help keep food affordable as keeping animal healthy allows farmers to more effectively produce food by using fewer natural resources.

Are antibiotics in the meat I eat?

Safeguards are put in place to ensure the meat you eat is safe and antibiotic-free.
1. Extensive testing and scientific studies determine how long it takes for antibiotics to leave an animal’s system (also known as withdrawal period.)
2. By law, animals given an antibiotic must wait the mandated withdrawal period before being harvested.
3. Meat is tested before leaving the processing plant to ensure there are no unsafe residues (by USDA and companies involved.)
4. Safe, antibiotic free meat arrives at your grocery store!