The global livestock sector has made significant efforts towards reducing antibiotics, but regional approaches differ, even in countries under the same general regime. A closer look at 2 EU member states shows that countries are moving at different speeds, and the path to success can be uneven.
Reduction of antibiotics: a global commitment
Countries around the world have committed to reducing antibiotic use, and the European Union is no exception. The European Commission’s One Health Action Plan Against Antimicrobial Resistance marked a significant step towards achieving the EU’s goal of mitigating antimicrobial resistance across all member states. Ten years after its publication, however, the reality shows that different member states have had drastically different trajectories toward achieving this goal. A closer look at the Netherlands and Spain highlights the importance of close collaboration between governments and industries.
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The Dutch strategy for antibiotic reduction
The trend in sales of veterinary antimicrobial agents shows a clear downward path in the Netherlands (Figure 1). In the Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) are responsible for combating antimicrobial resistance.
The guidelines for antibiotic reduction are stringent
Only veterinarians can prescribe and administer antibiotics to sick animals, and they can do so only after inspecting the premises.
Farmers can administer the antibiotics prescribed by veterinarians themselves only under very strict rules.
Furthermore, poultry, dairy, veal, and pig farmers are required to record the use of antibiotics on their premises.
Antibiotics that are used as a last resort for human medical treatment cannot be used in animals (except in very severe conditions).
The veterinarian and the farmer must create the so-called “health plan” for their farms, which includes measures to promote animal health, and this plan must be reviewed annually.
The NVWA oversees the recording of antibiotic use and monitors its use in the livestock sector.
Netherlands: 63% reduction in antibiotics in livestock
In addition to government action, the Netherlands has a long tradition of quality control systems within the industry itself, promoting best practices at multiple levels and across many areas of farming, including antibiotic reduction.
An example from the Dutch broiler industry is the ‘IKB Kip (Integrated Chain Control Chicken), which is a quality assurance system developed by and for the entire broiler sector. All parties, from farmers to slaughterhouses, are affiliated with it to ensure quality and safety throughout the chicken meat supply chain and contribute to safe and healthy poultry meat.
Food safety is the top priority of IKB Kip, which provides tools for operational management and thus helps participants comply with legislation, among other things.
IKB Kip also creates added value by including non-legal standards, allowing participating companies to demonstrate that they go beyond legal obligations and why they want to contribute to a strong sector.
Similar systems exist in other sectors of livestock farming that have contributed to a 63% reduction in antibiotic use between 2009 and 2018.
Spain’s path to antibiotic reduction in livestock shows different results
According to the Spanish Ministry of Health, it is primarily the lack of specific measures focused on reducing antibiotic use that must be considered when looking at the increase in sales between 2010 and 2014. Spain began collecting data on antibiotic sales in 2010 as part of the ESVAC project and on a voluntary basis. In the following years, a data collection system was implemented, including the development and validation of a database. This allowed for more accurate measurement of veterinary antibiotic use and, most importantly, the identification of the increasing trend that has persisted since 2010.
Spain: Establishment of programs for antibiotic reduction
In 2014, Spain launched a comprehensive One Health strategy to address the issue of antimicrobial resistance: the National Plan to Combat Antibiotic Resistance (PRAN). This strategy laid the necessary groundwork to optimize antibiotic consumption in Spain.
However, the ministry argues that the reduction in antibiotic use in animals has been significantly enhanced by the REDUCE programs implemented across various livestock sectors during the same period. These programs are based on voluntary agreements in which each sector sets specific targets for all species.
Here is the full study https://www.allaboutfeed.net/market/market-trends/antibiotic-reduction-in-the-eu-progressing-at-different-speeds/
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