In May 2006, Maine became the first state in the nation to adopt a meat purchasing policy that acknowledges the antibiotic resistance crisis in human medicine by giving preference to meat from animals that are only given antibiotics when they are sick.

Union of Concerned Scientists activists helped to make this victory happen.

Antibiotics are commonly added to the feed and water of animals being raised for human consumption, a practice with serious consequences for our health. Bacteria that are constantly exposed to antibiotics develop resistance to these drugs. When humans get sick from resistant bacteria, the antibiotics prescribed will no longer work. Maine's policy means that state institutions will actively seek to buy meat from producers who do their part to curb the rise in antibiotic resistance.

Our great thanks also go to forward-thinking leaders in Maine, including State Senator Scott Cowger, the bill's sponsor; State Representative John Piotti and State Senator John Nutting, co-chairs of the Agriculture Committee; and other lead supporters of this innovative policy. We also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of the state legislature's study group on animal agriculture uses of antibiotics that developed this policy: the Maine Center for Disease Control (formerly the Department of Health and Human Services); the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources; the Department of Administrative and Financial Services; and the dedicated citizen members of the study group. We commend the Agriculture Committee for unanimously endorsing the study group's report including its recommendations for state action.

We'd like to thank in advance Governor John Baldacci—who cosponsored federal legislation on this issue during his time in the House of Representatives—for overseeing the implementation of Maine's new policy.

U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Representatives Tom Allen and Mike Michaud are also to be applauded for their leadership in Congress to address the overuse of medically important antibiotics in human medicine.

Maine now stands with a growing number of restaurant chains, supermarkets, hospitals and other large-scale food purchasers taking positive steps to preserve the future effectiveness of antibiotics important to human medicine.