Pig & Poultry
Pig industry posts further reductions in antibiotics
P
ig producers used fewer an- tibiotics last year – with the amount prescribed falling by 5% on UK farms in 2020 – a total re- duction of 62% since 2015. The decline comes despite disease outbreaks and challenges caused by supply chain disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic which meant pigs spent more time on farm than usual.
Antibiotic use during 2020 reduced to 105mg/PCU compared with 110mg in 2019 and 278mg in 2015, according to data collected using the electronic medicine book. The book represents more than 95% of pigs slaughtered in the UK and con- tinues the downward trend since re- cording started – although swine dysentery in 2019 and early 2020 tem- porarily halted progress. The overall result is close to the tar- get of 99mg set by the UK pig industry. AHDB pork sector strategy director Angela Christison said the reduction was a good result in a difficult year,. She said: “The industry under- stands how important responsible an- tibiotic use is and that is why there are tough targets and we work together to- wards them. The sector has delivered sustained reductions since recording began via eMB in 2015.
“This continued improvement, de- spite disruption to pig flow during the pandemic, is a credit to collaboration between producers, vets and the in- dustry as a whole.”
Usage of the highest priority criti- cally important antibiotics (HP-CIAs) remains at a very low level, although there was a slight increase from 0.04 mg to 0.05 mg. No colistin use has been reported in 2020. HP-CIAs, as categorised by the Eu- ropean Medicines Agency (EMA), are the most important for human medi- cal health and reductions in their use has been a focus for all UK farm ani- mal sectors since stewardship efforts have stepped up.
Other options Mandy Nevel, AHDB head of animal health and welfare, said: “The EMA advice, which Pig Veterinary Society guidance supports, is that veterinary surgeons should prescribe a lower pri- ority alternative to HP-CIAs unless there is no other option. “This could explain why, despite the reducing trend overall, we are seeing an increase in use in some lower pri- ority antibiotics such as neomycin.” Alternatively, these could be short term adjustments as the industry accommodates the phasing out of therapeutic zinc oxide, which treats post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets, said Dr Nevel.
“Either way, while the proportion of these antibiotics being used re- mains low, as does resistance reported through Government surveillance, we must continue to monitor these trends and work to understand the reasons for changes in their use.”
The pig sector has made big strides in reducing antibiotics
Collaboration within the industry
has been one of the success factors be- hind the reductions achieved. The survey allows the industry to look at the more nuanced variations in individual antibiotic use to identi- fy potential reductions. Dr Nevel added: “The challenges in the industry during the past year high- light not just the importance of this cross-industry approach in our sus- tained drive for good stewardship, but also the need for antibiotics to safe- guard pig welfare.” Pig Veterinary Society senior vice president Paul Thompson said the electronic medicine book continued to provide invaluable information while helping to develop better ways to use antibiotics responsibly.
Gut health ‘key to reducing antimicrobials’
Low stress levels are key to re- ducing gut inflammation and the unnecessary use of antibiotics in pigs, suggests a Nuffield study. “With the ever-increasing pressure to reduce antimicrobi- als and the looming crisis of anti- microbial resistance, pig produc- ers must review their unit in a holistic manner with gut health at its centre,” says author Hei- di Hall.
Ms Hall examined ways farmers can manage herds with minimal requirement for anti-
52 ANGLIA FARMER • JULY 2021
biotics. “Harnessing the power of the microbiome, the popula- tion of bacteria which reside in the gut, is the key to sustaina- ble pig production.”
Performance changess She adds: “We need to routine- ly measure microbiome chang- es alongside stress levels in animals, prior to and during research trials, so that we can better understand any perfor- mance changes seen.”
Medication reduction in the
breeding herd was achievable by improving immunity, vacci- nation protocols and a focus on gut health. This should result in further improvements in proge- ny performance through mater- nal transfer. “We need to further under- stand the influence we have on gut health through effective monitoring on farm and in tri- als. We can then look to manip- ulate gut health to favour a mi- crobiome which is best suited to the production system.”
Heidi Hall: Nuffield scholar
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