In 2011, when the National Organic Standards Board made a formal recommendation to the National Organic Program to permit oxytetracyline for fireblight control in apples and pears only until October 21, 2014, the board stated the following: That its Crops Committee was presented with evidence that tetracycline antibiotics can contribute to antibiotic resistance in human pathogens when used as pesticides on plants. Evidence the board cited included: —A 2010 study of tetracycline resistance in Salmonella strains recovered from irrigation water in Mexico —A 1976 report on changes in intestinal flora of farm personnel after introduction of a tetracycline-supplemented feed on […]