The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Pig farmers continue to reduce use of antibiotics
Figures a reflection of the hard work and collaborative efforts by producers
Efforts by pig farmers in Scotland to adapt the way they approach herd health management has helped the UK pig industry reduce antibiotic use by more than half over the past two years.
Latest sector figures reveal that the number of antibiotics used on pig farms fell by 28% last year, building on a 34% cut in usage between 2015 and 2016.
The achievement comes just seven months after the pig sector was challenged by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance’s targets task force to reduce antibiotics usage by over 60% between 2015 and 2020.
Data on antibiotics use across pig farms was collected by the electronic medicine book (eMB), which records information on almost 90% of pigs slaughtered in the UK.
Developed by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the eMB enabled producers to review their antibiotics use, and identify where they can make improvements.
Since October last year, it became a requirement for Red Tractor accreditation that quarterly antibiotic data are logged in the eMB.
Sector bodies including Quality Meat Scotland, the AHDB and the National Pig Association said the latest figures were a reflection of the hard work and collaborative efforts by farmers and industry to change the way antibiotics are used on-farm.
“We knew it would be challenging to meet the agreed reduction targets, but the pig sector is rising to that challenge,” said NPA senior adviser Georgina Crayford.
“There is further work to be done to reduce antibiotic use, such as improved collaboration between farmers to tackle endemic disease.”
Gwyn Jones, chairman of RUMA, said collecting data will become more important as the challenge of meeting the 60% reduction target becomes tougher.
“In our complex supply chains we need to shine a light on all areas, and we can only do that if we see the whole picture,” he said.
“The good news is that as more usage records are logged through the change in Red Tractor rules, we are seeing engagement with the issue increase and reductions continuing to happen.”