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Antibiotics are not only used in humans and animals but also on crops. @USGS tracks data on pesticide use including antibiotic use on crops which shows massive increases in use since 2000. When use see antibiotic use go up 4-5 times over twenty years that is a problem.
The image above is for oxytetracycline. The image here is streptomycin. Both of these have been traditionally used in apples, pears, and peaches. We are producing more apples now than in 2000 maybe 10% more not the 400%+ more of antibiotic use. We produce less pears and peaches.
There were some increases before but the big jump occurred in 2016. That year, @EPA approved antibiotics for use in citrus in FL despite limited evidence of efficacy. The result was a massive increases in antibiotic use. So FL which previously had no use is now bright red.
Why is this important. First the overuse of antibiotics leads to the spread of superbugs that cause hard to treat illness in people and animals. Second we have no idea what the introduction of this massive increase in antibiotics into the FL environment will do.
