New Web app measures poultry, pig antibiotic use

A new Web application that allows livestock producers and veterinarians to measure antibiotic usage on poultry and pig farms has been developed by Ghent University.

The application, ABcheck, will include data about antibiotic use and resistance in animals, and will allow farms to compare their results to those of other farms. “Using these data, it is possible to advise producers and veterinarians about a rational and reduced use of antibiotics,” said Ghent Professor Jeroen Dewulf. The application fits into a project called "Reduction of antibiotic usage," which focuses on farm problems in the poultry and pig industries and aims to increase farm health, biosecurity and production levels while reducing the use of antibiotics.