More specifically, the NCBA, headquartered in Denver, has a problem. It has to decide how to put a positive spin on an obvious and serious violation of the law by a cow-calf operation in Newcastle, Nebraska, a small community very close to where I practiced medicine in ranch country for 17 years.

It won’t be easy.

The violation occurred two months after the Veterinary Feed Directive went into effect that everyone said would eliminate any issues surrounding antibiotic use in animals raised for food because all DVMs took an oath to protect the public’s health.

The Jerald and Janine Stewart Farm on Highway 12 received a letter from the US Food and Drug Administration dated June 28, 2017, listing many findings after a three day investigation of the cow-calf operation, including conditions so unsanitary and inadequate that “medicated animals bearing potentially harmful drug residues are likely to enter the food supply.”

The letter can be seen here.

The FDA investigation was triggered by an alert FSIS inspector who probably identified a cow from the farm that appeared ill, raising the question of antibiotics being used without an adequate withdrawal time, and taking samples of organs.

Ceftiofur, a third generation cephalosporin, a class of antibiotics critical to human health, was found at a level of 10.395 parts per million (ppm) in the kidney. The FDA tolerance level is 0.4 ppm. That is over 25 times the allowed limit determined necessary to protect the public’s health. Flunixin was found in liver tissue at a level of 10.2 ppm, a level 100 times the FDA’s approved concentration of 0.125 ppm. And oxytetracycline was also found at a level determined by the FDA to be a danger to the consumers of that meat.

The birds have been moving for several years towards the use of less or, in some instances, no antibiotics in their production. The pigs have followed suit, a little more slowly, but definitely moving.

The cattle industry has pretty much dug their spurs in saying that, in their opinion, there is no problem with using antibiotics. In fact, in one blog I reported that a large feedlot operator publicly stated that his facility never used antibiotics except to treat infections. I guess he did not consider his use of macrolides to prevent liver abscesses to be using antibiotics.

This operation in Nebraska thumbed their collective noses at public health and safety, not to mention the laws of the land. The June 28 letter from the FDA seriously jeopardizes the opinion that using antibiotics in cattle poses no threat to the public.

In 2016 FSIS tested 190,000 samples, with only 900 being positive or in violation of FDA’s standards. That is a 0.5 percent chance of popping a positive. Dairy cows led the way with 574 of those positives followed by bob veal with 120. Beef cows were third with a little over 50 samples violating the FDA’s limits and steers came in fourth. Pigs were way down the list.

How many violators snuck in under the radar like the Newcastle folks must have hoped to do?

NCBA, best of luck to you on this one. Your antagonists are salivating as they eat their veggie burgers.

Denver, we have a problem

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