> First, a lot of antibiotic resistance appears to be driven by the agricultural use of antibiotics as growth enhancers. Thus, we can be savvy consumers and support and be willing to absorb the costs of the efforts to get antibiotics out of the meat industry.
It's a well known problem, not some esoteric trivia. It is also the biggest cause of selective pressure, not antibacterial soaps or human medicine misuse of antibiotics.
Cool, thanks! I did some looking into it, and it appears that as of 1 Jan 2017, in the US such uses of medically important antibiotics will be banned in the US (http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/uc...). The EU has had a ban since 2006. China and some other countries may still be a problem. Not sure how much meet the US/EU imports from those countries.
With these bans in place, it doesn't seem necessary to implement a tax on their use. Perhaps a ban on importing meat that was produced using antibiotics for growth.
With these bans in place, it doesn't seem necessary to implement a tax on their use. Perhaps a ban on importing meat that was produced using antibiotics for growth.