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A recent regulatory appeal from a dozen health advocacy and agricultural labor coalitions is demanding the EPA to discontinue authorizing the use of antibiotics on edible plants across the United States, pointing to antibiotic-resistant spread and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Farming Sector Applies Millions of Pounds of Antibiotic Pesticides

The agricultural sector applies around 8m lbs of antimicrobial and fungicidal treatments on US produce every year, with several of these agents restricted in foreign countries.

“Each year the public are at greater danger from dangerous pathogens and diseases because medical antibiotics are sprayed on plants,” said a public health advocate.

Superbug Threat Presents Serious Health Risks

The widespread application of antibiotics, which are essential for combating infections, as crop treatments on fruits and vegetables threatens community well-being because it can cause drug-resistant microbes. Similarly, frequent use of antifungal agent treatments can create fungal infections that are less treatable with currently available medical drugs.

• Treatment-resistant diseases impact about millions of Americans and result in about thousands of deaths per year.
• Regulatory bodies have connected “medically important antibiotics” approved for pesticide use to antibiotic resistance, higher likelihood of staph infections and higher probability of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Ecological and Health Consequences

Additionally, eating antibiotic residues on produce can alter the human gut microbiome and elevate the likelihood of long-term illnesses. These agents also contaminate water sources, and are thought to affect bees. Often poor and Hispanic agricultural laborers are most at risk.

Frequently Used Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Methods

Growers use antibiotics because they eliminate bacteria that can damage or wipe out produce. One of the popular agricultural drugs is a common antibiotic, which is often used in healthcare. Data indicate as much as 125,000 pounds have been sprayed on US crops in a one year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Government Action

The formal request coincides with the EPA experiences pressure to expand the use of human antibiotics. The bacterial citrus greening disease, spread by the insect pest, is severely affecting fruit farms in Florida.

“I appreciate their desperation because they’re in difficult circumstances, but from a broader point of view this is absolutely a obvious choice – it should not be allowed,” the advocate said. “The bottom line is the significant issues caused by using medical drugs on produce far outweigh the farming challenges.”

Alternative Solutions and Future Outlook

Experts propose simple farming actions that should be implemented first, such as wider crop placement, cultivating more disease-resistant types of crops and identifying sick crops and rapidly extracting them to halt the pathogens from propagating.

The formal request gives the regulator about five years to respond. Previously, the organization banned chloropyrifos in answer to a comparable formal request, but a court reversed the EPA’s ban.

The regulator can enact a restriction, or must give a reason why it won’t. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a future administration, does not act, then the groups can sue. The process could require over ten years.

“We are engaged in the long game,” the expert stated.