Final answer:
Owners of food animals need to be informed about responsible antibiotic use to prevent medication residues in meat and combat environmental contamination as well as bacterial resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is important to inform the owners of food animals about the judicious use of antimicrobial drugs to prevent high amounts of medication residue in the meat. This issue stems from the excessive and often routine use of antibiotics in livestock, which not only promotes bacterial resistance but also can lead to medication residues in meat that may then contaminate the food supply.
While humans typically do not directly ingest these drugs due to the cooking process, the environment can suffer from the presence of pharmaceuticals excreted in soil and water, potentially leading to the extinction of sensitive species and the development of drug-resistant bacterial strains that can impact human health indirectly.