Though the levels may be at trace, antibiotics have been found in distillers’ grains (DGs), which are used to feed animals. Though this wouldn’t seem a problem at first, the continued consumption of DGs by animals may cause some bacterial resistance to antibiotics, depending on the bacterium and the antibiotic in question, according to findings in a report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).
The report, Bugs in the System: How the FDA Fails to Regulate Antibiotics in Ethanol Production, suggests FDA has taken a lax stance on the use of antibiotics in livestock or poultry feed, refusing to place binding regulations on producers that would limit their antibiotic use. IATP suggests FDA take another look at the use of antibiotics in the corn ethanol industry.