California outpaces feds on superbug laws

By Robert King, Robert King

Published December 20, 2015

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The federal government hasn't done much when it comes to regulating the use of antibiotics on the farm. So one state is stepping in with the strictest law in the country.

The drugs are commonly used to make animals grow faster and become more resistant to disease, but public health officials have warned that the animals become resistant to the drugs and can pass that resistance on to humans.

The Food and Drug Administration created a program by which volunteers could curb the use of antibiotics in livestock. California, meanwhile, has made such a program mandatory.