The European Parliament’s Environment and Public Health Committee is advocating a ban on the use of antibiotics as a general or preventive treatment of farm animals
To fight the growth in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the use of anti-microbial drugs on farm animals should be restricted, and incentives should be provided for the development of new alternatives, the Environment and Public Health Committee of the European Parliament has ruled.
In a vote on draft plans to update an EU law on veterinary medicines, the MEPs advocated banning collective and preventive antibiotic treatment of animals. Veterinary medicines should never be used to improve performance or compensate for poor animal husbandry, the MEPs said, and they advocated limiting the prophylactic use of anti-microbials (i.e. as a preventive measure, in the absence of clinical signs of infection) to single animals and only when fully justified by a vet. Collective treatment (i.e. treating a group of animals when one shows signs of infection) should be avoided, with treatment restricted to single animals that are identified as being at a high risk of contamination. Animals currently account for 45% of antibiotic use in the UK.
Read about Sustain's Save our Antibiotics campaign here.
Published Friday 19 February 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
