UK poultry industry a leader in reducing antibiotics use

The U.K.'s broiler and layer industries are ahead of target in reducing antibiotic use to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

Nerthuz | Bigstock.com
Nerthuz | Bigstock.com

While the relative merits of "no antibiotics" claims on meat and poultry labels continues to divide opinion, findings from the latest review of antibiotic use in U.K. livestock reveals the poultry industry is exceeding its targets for responsible use.

One Year On, a report from the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) which, since 1997 has brought various producer groups together to promote food safety standards, animal health and welfare, reviews the livestock industry’s 12-month progress on industry-led targets for antibiotic use, and shows that usage in the U.K. chicken meat and laying hen sectors in 2017 was well below the targets set for the period 2018-20.

And while the U.K. farming industry overall has achieved impressive reductions of 40 percent in sales of antibiotics over the past five years, these two sectors continue to lead the way.

The report, published in late 2018, compiled data from more than 90 percent of the U.K. broiler and layer industries. It shows the poultry meat sector has achieved an 82 percent reduction in total use of antibiotics in the six years to 2017, and a 91 percent reduction in the use of fluoroquinolones (highest priority critically important antibiotics, or HP-CIAs).

RUMA’s figures show the sector has already exceeded its three-year target, with antibiotic use in chicken meat just 9.85 mg/kg in 2017, against a target of 25 mg/kg for 2018-20, and usage in turkey meat down to 45.18 mg/kg in 2017, compared with its target of 50 mg/kg by 2020.

Similarly impressive results are seen in the layer sector, which remained below its target of 1 percent for bird days medicated.

So what next for these sectors? How do these results compare with other livestock industries? And is it enough?

Broiler sector

The British Poultry Council’s Antibiotic Stewardship scheme has encouraged responsible antimicrobial consumption by driving down the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics and CIAs since 2011.

As such, broiler production was the first U.K. livestock sector to pioneer a data collection mechanism and share antibiotic usage with the country’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and, since 2011, it has led the way in improving understanding of how it uses antibiotics, and in sharing best practice on responsible use of antibiotics with other livestock sectors worldwide.

In the long term, the industry says it is committed to exploring alternatives to antibiotics.

Meanwhile, it says it will work with the government on the One Health approach on antimicrobial resistance set out by the United Nations, support scientific research into antibiotic resistance in the poultry production chain, map bird health and welfare using diagnostic and sensitivity testing tools used in humans, and work with medical experts to develop a methodology for rapid on-farm diagnostics to ensure early diagnosis.

The sector’s moves toward transparency, accountability and collaboration are seen as essential in building trust and lowering antimicrobial usage.

Layer sector

RUMA’s report shows the laying hen sector also beat its target three years early.  

Data from the British Egg Industry Council reveals that the sector used 2.16 tons of antibiotic active ingredients in 2017, a reduction of 0.45 tons (17 percent) over the previous year. This represents 0.57 daily doses/100 days, a 22 percent reduction from 2016. The industry credits these achievements to a combination of widespread vaccination programs, biosecurity and veterinary health plans, and the Lion Training Passport – which includes training on welfare, biosecurity and medicine usage.

Reductions were also seen in most antibiotic classes, particularly for macrolides and pleuromutilins, and there was no use of HP-CIAs in 2017.

Other livestock

Overall, the U.K. farming industry saw a drop in antibiotic usage to 37mg/kg in 2017, making it one of the lowest users in Europe. But there are noticeable differences between the various livestock sectors.

Gamebirds have met their 2020 target two years early, by halving antibiotic usage in 2018.

The pig industry reports that it is on track to meet its ambitious target reductions of 99mg/kg by 2020, albeit, the report suggests, the easy wins have already been secured so further investment and more difficult decisions will be required to reduce viral infection.

Cattle and sheep farmers are also said to be making significant progress, with vaccination increasing steadily in calves, although ongoing challenges with data collection and collation make it difficult to demonstrate progress.

In the fish industries, the trout sector came in marginally below its target of 20mg/kg, but salmon fared less well, recording a use of 17.2mg/kg against an ambitious maximum target of 5mg/kg. Both sectors consider vaccines to be vital in the future fight against bacterial and viral pathogens.

But with European Commission figures suggesting that human infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria account for more than 33,000 deaths in Europe every year, do these moves go far enough to meet growing concerns?

A British Poultry Council spokesperson told Poultry International that the sector would “always need antibiotics in the toolbox.”

She continued: “The poultry meat sector accounts for less than 10 percent of antibiotic usage among livestock. We have stopped using antibiotics for preventive treatment, we are reviewing on-farm practices, and the industry is part of the Red Tractor Scheme, but low antibiotic use is necessary to promote animal health and alleviate suffering.”

Petri Dish Bacteria 2

Human infections with antibiotic resistance bacteria are thought to lead to 33,000 deaths each year in Europe alone. (Airen_Creation | Bigstock.com)

 

Responsible use versus antibiotic-free poultry production

www.WATTAgNet.com/articles/29157

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