Alternatives to the use of antimicrobial agents in pig production: A multi-country expert-ranking of perceived effectiveness, feasibility and return on investment

Attitudes and perceptions of Dutch veterinarians on their role in the reduction of antimicrobial use in farm animals

“…Probably, Dutch farmers with intensively kept animals have already improved their housing conditions in the last years to such an extent that veterinarians see less need for improvement compared to other measures like improving feed quality. Postma et al (2015) confirmed the finding that improving feed quality in pig production was a highly ranked measure amongst important stakeholders in the pig industry. Improvements in housing and climate were regarded as important measures by ruminant specialists in our study which is in accordance with findings of other authors who stressed the importance of a balanced housing system for dairy cows to prevent diseases (LeBlanc et al, 2006;Vaarst et al, 2006).…”

“…Interestingly, benchmarking was ranked highly amongst all respondents in our study as an important measure for reduction of antibiotic use, in contrast to for example the study of Postma et al (2015) were it was ranked quite low; Dutch stakeholders were not involved in that study. This might probably be explained by the fact that mandatory benchmarking of prescription and use of veterinary antibiotics was already introduced at the time of questionnaire distribution (Speksnijder et al, 2015b) and veterinarians probably saw the first positive results from this in the field.…”

Opinions of veterinarians on antimicrobial use in farm animals in Flanders and the Netherlands

“…A recent study among pig experts in six European countries showed similar findings; improving the biosecurity level was ranked as a promising alternative for AMU, while improvements in feed quality received a lower score in Belgium compared with some of the other countries (Postma and others 2015). In Belgium, approximately 50 per cent of the finisher production is in the hands of feed companies (Instituut voor de Nationale Rekeningen 2009, 2015).…”

Understanding the culture of antimicrobial prescribing in agriculture: a qualitative study of UK pig veterinary surgeons

“…88 In addition, interviewees identified vaccination as an highly desirable alternative to antimicrobial use for pig disease prophylaxis, as reflected in other studies. 16,89,90 Further evidence of the most efficient systems in terms of reducing antimicrobial use and resistance, whilst maintaining productivity and providing economic return, are not currently available.…”

“…86,91 In parallel with the literature, veterinary surgeons identified that in some cases improved biosecurity and environmental management have been considered as viable alternatives to prescribing by reducing the need for treatment. 89,90 However, participants felt that the costs of such improvements may be considered prohibitive and reinvestments in farming systems are not feasible due to the high costs involved, which is an opinion echoed in the literature. 17,90,92 In parallel, whilst the economic and health benefits of MRSA control programmes in human hospitals are clear, human medicine faced similar financial hurdles in implementing effective disease prevention and control programmes in tertiary care settings.…”