Consumption of Antimicrobials in Pigs, Veal Calves, and Broilers in The Netherlands: Quantitative Results of Nationwide Collection of Data in 2011

Abstract

In 2011, Dutch animal production sectors started recording veterinary antimicrobial consumption. These data are used by the Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Authority to create transparency in and define benchmark indicators for veterinary consumption of antimicrobials. This paper presents the results of sector wide consumption of antimicrobials, in the form of prescriptions or deliveries, for all pig, veal calf, and broiler farms. Data were used to calculate animal defined daily dosages per year (ADDD/Y) per pig or veal calf farm. For broiler farms, number of animal treatment days per year was calculated. Furthermore, data were used to calculate the consumption of specific antimicrobial classes per administration route per pig or veal calf farm. The distribution of antimicrobial consumption per farm varied greatly within and between farm categories. All categories, except for rosé starter farms, showed a highly right skewed distribution with a long tail. Median ADDD/Y values varied from 1.2 ADDD/Y for rosé finisher farms to 83.2 ADDD/Y for rosé starter farms, with 28.6 ADDD/Y for white veal calf farms. Median consumption in pig farms was 9.3 ADDD/Y for production pig farms and 3.0 ADDD/Y for slaughter pig farms. Median consumption in broiler farms was 20.9 ATD/Y. Regarding specific antimicrobial classes, fluoroquinolones were mainly used on veal calf farms, but in low quantities: P75 range was 0 – 0.99 ADDD/Y, and 0 – 0.04 ADDD/Y in pig farms. The P75 range for 3rd/4th-generation cephalosporins was 0 – 0.07 ADDD/Y for veal calf farms, and 0 – 0.1 ADDD/Y for pig farms. The insights obtained from these results, and the full transparency obtained by monitoring antimicrobial consumption per farm, will help reduce antimicrobial consumption and endorse antimicrobial stewardship. The wide and skewed distribution in consumption has important practical and methodological implications for benchmarking, surveillance and future analysis of trends.

Risk factors for oral antimicrobial consumption in Swiss fattening pig farms – a case–control study

“…This is in agreement with findings reported in an earlier study performed in Switzerland [18]. The usage patterns reported in this study differ from those found in other countries, where tetracyclines are more commonly used than sulphonamides [13, 19, 20]. A possible explanation could be that Swiss pig farmers were discouraged from using certain antimicrobials, including tetracyclines, in the past and SGD members are still discouraged from using certain antimicrobials, including tetracyclines, without carrying out further diagnostics.…”

“…In the Netherlands an independent institution sets benchmarks for antimicrobial usage, which are re-evaluated on a yearly basis. Farms that exceed these benchmark levels are obliged to decrease their consumption by implementing measures [13]. Since the introduction of this program in 2012, antimicrobial consumption has been reduced by 56 % compared to consumption in 2007.…”

Risk factors for ESBL-producing Escherichia coli on pig farms: A longitudinal study in the context of reduced use of antimicrobials

“…Although we have to acknowledge that the confidence interval of this association was wide, its significance directly calls for the well-known causal evidence attributed to the use of these drugs for the emergence of ESBLs [2,18]. Most of the farms in this study did not use cephalosporins, which is comparable to the use in the Dutch pig farm population in the same period (2011–2013) [11,14]. We can conclude that for curbing ESBL numbers, reducing or restricting the use of cephalosporins was more decisive than an overall AMU reduction.…”

“…A more detailed description on the calculation of DDDA/Y is described in the Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Authority report and by Bos et al[11,14]. Data on AMU for the farms in this study have been described elsewhere [16].…”

Reduction of antibiotic use in animals “let’s go Dutch”

“…In 2012 cattle followed. Usage on farms is expressed as animal daily dosages per year (add/y) (Bos et al 2013), which resembles the Danish system of reporting. 3 In this way farms and vets can be benchmarked and compared with each other and with independently defined targets (benchmarking).…”