Abstract
The emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistant pathogens have led to rising concern about the widespread and excessive use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine. Denmark has implemented several initiatives to reduce antimicrobial use in animals since the 90s, with the Yellow Card scheme implemented in 2010. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects on antimicrobial use in Danish pig farms of changes in the legislation regarding the Yellow Card, based on analysis of temporal trends in monthly antimicrobial consumption calculated at herd-level from 2010 to 2017. A dynamic linear model with a linear growth component was used to model the data. The percentage of herds with a negative growth component and a significant decline below zero (based on 95% credible intervals) was assessed for the entire study period. The analysis was run separately for the different age groups within each farm: weaners (up to 30 kg), sows and finishers herds, and categorized according to antimicrobial use before the Yellow Card initiative (2008–2009), as groups of herds with “low,” “moderate,” or “high” consumption. The results evidence a decline of the antimicrobial consumption in Danish pig herds, more pronounced during two periods: with the introduction of the Yellow Card and in relation to the announcements and changes in the legislation in 2014. Weaner herds in the high consumption category had the highest percentage of herds with a negative growth component, reaching 82% of herds in January 2011, followed by weaner herds with moderate antimicrobial consumption reaching 71% of herds in October 2012. For finisher herds in the moderate consumption category, the proportion with a negative growth increased from 38% in January 2010 to 71% in July 2011. A decline in antimicrobial consumption was also evident after announcements and changes in the legislation in 2014, particularly for sows and finishers. Our findings suggest that changes in the Yellow Card scheme promoted a continuous reduction in antimicrobial use in Danish pig herds, particularly in herds with high antimicrobial consumption.
Highlights
The emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistant pathogens have led to rising concern about the widespread and excessive use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine
A total of 2,310,160 purchases of antimicrobials made between January 2008 and December 2017 for 7,328 Danish pig farms were extracted from VetStat to be included in the analysis
This corresponded to a total of 3,513 weaner herds, 2,617 sow herds, and 6,496 finisher herds from which 1,538 weaner herds, 1,663 sow herds, and 1,999 finisher herds had an estimated antimicrobial consumption data for at least all months between January 2008 and June 2010
Summary
The emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistant pathogens have led to rising concern about the widespread and excessive use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine. In 2001, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) established a database, recording and monitoring the use of prescribed drugs in animals: the VetStat [2]. VetStat has continuously collected detailed data on antimicrobial prescription and sales for livestock farms. These data have been used to generate national summary statistics of the amount and type of antimicrobial prescribed for different animal species in Denmark and to generate research, both supporting the interventions to promote prudent use [1, 3]. According to Danish legislation, the use of antimicrobials in animals is only allowed for the treatment of infectious diseases and not for prophylaxis or growth promotion purposes [4]
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