EU Takes Action on Antibiotic Use

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem in the EU, according to the European Commission (EC). Because of this, it has launched an action plan detailing 12 concrete actions to be implemented in close cooperation with the Member States.

European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli said: "We need to take swift and determined action if we do not want to lose antimicrobial medicines as essential treatment against bacterial infections in both humans and animals.

"The 12 concrete actions for the next five years could help limit the spread of anti-microbial resistance and help develop new anti-microbial treatment. Their success requires joined efforts from the EU, the Member States, health-care professionals, industry, farmers and many others."

The Action Plan specifically states that more action should be taken to ensure that antimicrobials are used appropriately in animals. It also aims to improve the monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial use.

The EC says that is plans to strengthen EU law on veterinary medicines and medicated feeds, as well as introduce recommendations for prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine.

Another goal of the plan is to introduce legal tools to tighten prevention and control of infections in animals in the new EU Animal Health Law.

Finally, the EC will promote efforts to analyse the need for new antibiotics in veterinary medicine.

The EC says that the action plan has been put into place to prevent resistant bacteria from being transferred from animals to humans via the food chain or through direct contact.

Subsequently, a new alliance – comprising Compassion in World Farming, The Soil Association and Sustain – has called for the EU to cut the use of antibiotics in livestock farming by 50 per cent by 2015.

The alliance clarified that it is not calling for an end to antibiotic treatment of farm animals but rather to restricting their use to the treatment of sick animals in order to reduce suffering and maintain good welfare.

One year after the Australian pork industry said it would voluntarily phase out sow stalls, around one-third of the industry is reported to have made the move.

And finally, the Russian veterinary authorities have reported new outbreaks of African swine fever in three regions: Kursk Oblast, Stavropol Kray and Krasnodar Kray.