Stop The Overuse Of Antibiotics

Together, we can stop the dangerous overuse of our lifesaving antibiotics on factory farms.

Advocates gathered outside a Wendy's to release a scorecard grading corporate policies to stop the overuse of antibiotics.
Robert Banez | TPIN
Abe Scarr, State Director for Illinois PIRG, and other PIRG advocates call for Wendy’s to step up in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
TPIN staff | TPIN

Overusing antibiotics breeds bacteria resistant to those antibiotics, threatening the future effectiveness of these medicines and putting our health at risk. According to new research, antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” killed at least 1.2 million people worldwide in 2019 — more than the previous annual estimate by over half a million.

Given the stakes, we should be doing everything in our power to safeguard these lifesaving medicines. Yet, nearly two-thirds of medically important antibiotics sold in the U.S. are for use on factory farms — and often given to animals that aren’t even sick. We need to stop the agricultural practices that lead to this misuse of our life-saving medicines.

We know we can get factory farms to change their practices if America’s largest restaurant chains commit to serving meat that has been raised without the routine use of medically important antibiotics. And we know we can get our lawmakers to craft and enforce health-based policies if enough people raise their voices to make it happen.

Help us call on decision-makers and major meat buyers to protect our lifesaving antibiotics.

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Team
Abe
Scarr

Abe
Scarr

Energy and Utilities Program Director, PIRG