Factbox: U.S. antibiotic phase-out may have minimal impact on livestock

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's planned phase-out over the next three years of some antibiotics used in animal production could have a minimal immediate impact on cattle, pork and chicken production, said economists and traders. FDA on Wednesday outlined a proposal that would help reduce the use of some antibiotics in animal production to counter bacterial resistance to those drugs when they are prescribed for humans. In its statement on Wednesday, the agency did not specify which antibiotics would be targeted. * It appears FDA aims to halt or curtail the use of antibiotics for weight gain, Chicago-based Daniels Trading commodities broker Craig Turner told Reuters.