From: kscott@oeb.harvard.edu
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 6:15 PM
To: EXECSEC
Subject: agricultural antibiotics use

Dear Commissioner Jane Henney,

It has recently come to my attention, through the Union of Concerned
Scientists, that there is currently no means to accurately estimate the
quantity of antibiotics used for agricultural purposes. These data are
crucial in addressing the degree to which the rise in antibiotic-resistent
bacteria, which imperils us all, is affected by agricultural antibiotic
use.   Please establish a reporting system to determine the quantity of
antibiotics used in U.S. agriculture.  This step would be a major benchmark
in our current and future struggle with the growing incidence of human
pathogens that do not respond to our current arsenel of antibiotics.

Thank you for your time,

Dr. Kathleen Scott


Dr. KT Scott
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Harvard University
16 Divinity Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138

(617)495-1138
email kscott@oeb.harvard.edu