One of the biggest risks to human and animal health is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In fact, there was an estimate last year that, between 2024 and 2050, there would be over 39 million deaths because bacteria, viruses, and fungi are resistant to treatment. It is a serious problem, but is luckily getting attention nationally and internationally.
VARSS Report
There was really good AMR news from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) in November. The latest VARSS report shows that antibiotics sales for food producing animals in the UK remain at the lowest level since records began. There has been a big 59% reduction since 2014. More importantly, sales of antibiotics that are critically important to human health are at extremely low levels, less than 0.5% of total vet sales.
The latest VARSS report is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, it is the tenth year that there has been data for antibiotics use for pigs and poultry in the UK. It makes it possible to track progress on reducing usage. Secondly, it is the first year of collecting data for beef and dairy cattle, and sheep. This creates a baseline for usage to see how it changes in the coming years.
It is incredibly positive that antibiotics use in food producing animals in the UK has been managed more effectively in the last decade. The overall picture is great. However, the VARSS report did find that there has been an increase in some sectors. The hope is the upticks don’t become an ongoing trend. This highlights the need to continue with stewardship efforts.
Comments
There were comments from several stakeholders to accompany the report. Generally, there is a lot of positivity about the improvement in animal health. However, there are also warnings.
VMD CEO Abi Seager said she was “proud of our AMR surveillance programme”. It is useful for helping UK farmers and vets, ensuring they can be more responsible with antibiotics use. Additionally, Seager said she looks forward to seeing “renewed ambition from the veterinary and agriculture sectors”.
The Chief Executive of APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency), Jenny Stewart, had praise for the work on AMR and their partnership with VMD. She said they “will continue to work with UK vets and farmers, as well as international partners, to address the threat of AMR”.
The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said the VARSS report shows that “collaboration is helping to maintain progress in the responsible use of antibiotics”. This is crucial for tackling the risks of antimicrobial resistance.
Talk to us about animal health
The most important thing farmers can take from all of this is not to rely on antibiotics. Doing so can build resistance, and may ultimately mean that diseases and illnesses are untreatable. That would be a huge risk to food security.
One thing to look at is the targets and ambitions for antibiotic use in the agricultural sector. RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture) published them in November. There are overviews, data for progress, and targets for various animals, including cattle, sheep, pigs, salmon, trout, and poultry. Have a look here.
If you are thinking about animal health and want some help, JS Hubbuck Ltd has several products for you. This includes bespoke housing and feed systems, animal feeds, wormer, and much more. So, contact us for information about any of them.