New Generation of Livestock Drugs Linked to Cancer

As US regulators restrict antibiotic use, livestock producers turn to vaccines, hormones, and other problematic drugs

American consumers are eating a strange brew of drugs and hormones that livestock producers are using to spur their animals to grow more quickly.doctor_k/Shutterstock

Many people know about the routine use of antibiotics in livestock production—and object to it. The drugs are profitable to meat producers because they cause animals to gain more weight with less feed and prevent the outbreak of disease in often cramped concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFOS) conditions.

In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration began regulatory measures to prevent the use of livestock antibiotics for growth purposes and recently finalized the guidances. Injudicious antibiotic use drives the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.