STEVE ROACH AND MADELEINE KLEVEN, SAFE AND HEALTHY FOOD TEAM, FOOD ANIMAL CONCERNS TRUST
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its Center of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) were created as public health agencies with the regulatory goal of making sure that drugs for humans or animals cannot be sold unless they are safe and effective. Under pressure from the regulated industry and elected officials, this original public health mission has been eroded. Now the Center for Veterinary Medicine whose primary reason for existence is to make sure animal drugs are safe both for animals and people prioritizes “spur[ring] the development of new technologies” over making sure people are not harmed by existing technologies. The CVM is becoming more and more like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with dual roles of both regulating and promoting U.S. agriculture. Like the USDA, this means the CVM too often prioritizes the regulated industry over protecting public health.