What Would Happen if Over-the-Counter Antibiotics Were Banned in Swine Rations?

Abstract

<p>A ban on over-the-counter feed antibiotics was implemented in Sweden in 1986. Similar bans were enacted in Norway in 1992, in Finland in 1996 (for grower-finishing hogs), in Denmark in 1998, and in Poland and Switzerland in 1999. In a study we conducted in 1999, we explored what would happen if a ban on the use of over-the-counter antibiotics in swine rations were to be implemented in the United States. Specifically, our purpose was to estimate the likely economic effects of such a ban on the U.S. pork industry and pork market.</p>