The use of antibiotics in livestock is declining
Photo is illustrative in nature. From open sources.
The significant decline in the use of antibiotics in livestock suggests that country-level measures to reduce the use of antibiotics are effective.
According to the European Food Safety Administration (EFSA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the use of antibiotics has decreased, at the moment the level of antibiotic use in animal production is lower than in public HEALTH. Based on a One Health approach, the report presents data on antibiotic use and the development of antimicrobial resistance in Europe for 2016-2018.
The consumption of antibiotics in both sectors, expressed in mg/kg of estimated biomass, was compared both at the country level and at the pan-European level. Significant differences were observed across countries in the health and livestock sectors. Every year between 2016 and 2018 overall antibiotic consumption was lower in farm animals (e.g. 2017 108.3 mg/kg, range 3.1–423.1) than in humans (e.g. 2017 130.0 mg/kg; range 52.8–212.6). This is the first time such a situation has been reported since JIACRA began analyzing the data in 2011.
The significant reduction in the use of antibiotics in animals used for food production indicates that measures taken at country level to reduce use are proving to be effective. Use of a class of antibiotics called polymyxins, which includes colistin, was almost halved in farm animals between 2016 and 2018. This is a positive development as polymyxins are also used in hospitals to treat patients infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria.
The picture in the EU is varied - the situation differs significantly depending on the country and class of antibiotics. For example, aminopenicillins, 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins, and quinolones (fluoroquinolones and other quinolones) are used more in humans than in farm animals, while polymyxins (colistin) and tetracyclines are used more in animals than in humans.
The report also points out links between the consumption of antimicrobials in animals and antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from food-producing animals, which in turn is associated with antimicrobial resistance in human bacteria. An example of this is Campylobacter spp. bacteria found in farm animals that cause foodborne infections in humans. The experts found a link between the resistance of these bacteria in animals and the resistance of the same bacteria in humans.
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