Government sets AMR targets farmers are


already achieving By Jane Brooks


Back in January the UK Government’s new cross-departmental antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plan, was launched by Secretary of State for Health the Rt. Hon Matt Hancock at the World Economic Forum, an annual meeting of world leaders and business people at Davos, in the Swiss Alps. Developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders


across different sectors, the new five-year National Action Plan and the ‘UK AMR 20-year Vision’ is aligned with global plans and frameworks for action. Within the industry as a whole, significant reductions in


antimicrobial use have already been achieved. The UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance Report (UK-VARSS) 2017, found total antibiotic sales for use in food-producing animals declined 18% from 2016 levels. Additionally sales of highest-priority critically important antibiotics (HP-CIAs) fell by 29% from already low 2016 levels. In fact since 2013, sales of veterinary antibiotics in the United Kingdom have fallen by 40%. The new plan includes a commitment to reducing antibiotic use


in food-producing animals by 25% between 2016 and 2020. This is to be achieved through continued collaborative working with vets and farmers and using preventive measures such the application of data, biosecurity and animal husbandry practices to reduce resistant infections. In actual fact the industry is already on target to reduce antibiotic


use in food-producing animals by 25% between 2016 and 2020, an aim that is only achievable through the extensive voluntary initiative and goals developed by the agricultural industry that are already in place. Unfortunately, recent media reports have managed to confuse


and distort the fact that in recent years the UK livestock sector has put a huge amount of effort into reducing antibiotic use and continues to do so. Instead some consumers and farmers have been led to believe that the five-year National Action Plan has imposed more regulation and targets on livestock producers, when it is not the case at all and our farmers are doing a brilliant job. The UK has some of the strictest regulations on antibiotic use


in the world, and there is clearly a need to preserve the drugs that are currently effective, Antimicrobials, particularly antibiotics, have saved millions of lives since they were first discovered; my parents, my own generation and my children have seen the benefits of these medicines. However since 1980 no new classes of antibiotics have been


discovered and we’re hurtling towards a world where antibiotics may no longer work. Currently around the globe about 700,000 people annually die from drug-resistant infections, a figure that’s estimated to reach 10 million a year by 2050. Right now, universally raising animals without antibiotics


is not practical, particularly if withholding or delaying treatment compromises health or welfare. It’s vital that new technologies and management practices are developed to underpin the reduced need for antibiotics whilst still enabling their responsible use within the farming industry. Reducing antibiotic use has raised some costs for producers and


unfortunately, although the British farming industry is at the forefront of responsible antibiotic use, there’s little financial incentive on offer through current or future agricultural policies as the farming community itself increases the pace of change. Looking purely at the pig industry, national data collected back in


2017 by RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance) from the UK’s major feed compounders indicated that from 2014 some 37% of feed for young pigs contained a prescribed antibiotic; by the end of 2018 this had reduced to 18%, with two thirds of the reduction taking place in 2016, pretty indicative of producers efforts to reduce antibiotic use. In part the use of medicinal levels of zinc oxide in feed is


thought to help reduce antibiotic reliance in pigs by protecting the gut against E. coli bacteria. However, there are welfare challenges that need to be addressed with any change to farming practices, which is where management skills and a good relationship with a vet to assess disease risks are vital. Something that is not generally treated with antibiotics in


healthy people is the bacterium salmonella, which can be particularly dangerous for infants, the elderly and people with poor immunity. Last December salmonella found in pet food sparked mild panic


when the UK Food Standards Agency reported that Avondale Pet Foods Ltd. had recalled Just Natural Chicken and Tripe because salmonella was found in the product. Sold only in England and Scotland, the recall was for pack size: 20 x 454 grams and 8 x 1 kilogram, with batch code: 104-6/14105/339C and a best before date of December 2019. No other Avondale Pet Foods Ltd products


PAGE 18 MAY/JUNE 2019 FEED COMPOUNDER


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