AVMA House divided

New Orleans

- The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) House of Delegates voted against discussing a controversial antimicrobial resolution July 18 by a vote of 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent.

The proposed resolution needed more than a two-thirds vote to be considered.

The resolution's author Dr. Robert Gordon, an AVMA delegate representing the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, vows to make it No. 1 on the January agenda, saying if AVMA wants to be the authority on animal issues, its membership at least has to be willing to discuss amending its policy on the non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials in food animals for growth promotion and feed efficiency.

As a result, a closing resolution demanding veterinarian input into the decisions resulting in the incorporation of antimicrobials into livestock feeds was pulled.

Click here to read the original resolution.

Check back at dvm360.com for more coverage on this issue and other events from the AVMA's annual convention in New Orleans.