Abstract
New regulations on veterinary medicines and medicated feed will substantially influence antimicrobial prescribing and usage throughout Europe into the future. These regulations have been informed by a very large body of work, including the substantial progress towards reduced antimicrobial usage in food animal production in a number of member states of the European Union (EU). This paper seeks to summarise European perspectives on efforts to reduce antimicrobial usage in food animal production. Work within the EU is informed by the global action plan of the World Health Organization, which includes a strategic objective to optimise the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health. There is ongoing measurement of trends in antimicrobial usage and resistance throughout the EU, and detailed information on strategies to reduce the need to use antimicrobials in food animal production. Substantial scientific progress has been made on the measurement of antimicrobial usage, including at herd-level, and on the objective assessment of farm biosecurity. In a number of EU member states, monitoring systems for usage are well-established, allowing benchmarking for veterinarians and farms, and monitoring of national and industry-level trends. Several countries have introduced restrictions on antimicrobial prescribing and usage, including strategies to limit conflicts of interest around antimicrobial prescribing and usage. Further, a broad range of measures are being used across member states to reduce the need for antimicrobial usage in food animal production, focusing both at farm level and nationally. Veterinarians play a central role in the reduction of antimicrobial usage in farm animals. Ireland’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017–20 (iNAP) provides an overview of Ireland’s commitment to the development and implementation of a holistic, cross-sectoral ‘One Health’ approach to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. The new regulations offer an important springboard for further progress, in order to preserve the efficacy of existing antimicrobials, which are a critical international resource.
Highlights
New regulations on veterinary medicines (Regulation (EU) 2019/6) and medicated feed (Regulation (EU) 2019/4) will enter into force within the European Union (EU) from 28 January 2022 [1, 2]
A global action plan on antimicrobial resistance is in place, coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) [6], which includes a strategic objective to optimise the use of antimicrobial medicines in humans and animal health
The graphics are from European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)’s interactive infographic ‘How can we reduce the use of antimicrobials in food producing animals?’, and have been used with permission
Summary
These regulations will substantially influence antimicrobial prescribing and usage throughout Europe into the future. Actions by individual member states Substantial efforts have been made by a number of EU member states to reduce the overall use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals, including the creation of national usage & reduction targets, the measurement and benchmarking of prescribing and usage by veterinary practices and individual farms respectively, and through strategies to encourage antimicrobial stewardship [11]. In the Netherlands, three key challenges were highlighted in seeking to reduce overall use and misuse of antimicrobials in food animals, including the application (successfully and sustainably) of preventive measures on-farm, increased use of appropriate diagnostic tests (preferably pen-side) to guide prescribing decisions, and prudent and accurate administration of antimicrobial treatments [71] These authors argue that a comprehensive set of interventions (and associated compliance measures) is need to positively influence veterinary prescribing behaviour [71]. The Interdepartmental Antimicrobial Resistance Consultative Committee oversaw the publication of Ireland’s first joint One Health Report on Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance, which emphasises the critical contribution of cross-sectoral co-operation to effectively tackle antimicrobial resistance [81]
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