Transition Pathways Toward the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials: The Case of Free-Range Broiler Farmers in France

Abstract

Reducing antimicrobial use (AMU) on farms is key for controlling the rise of resistant bacteria that have the potential capacity to infect humans via direct animal contact or via the food chain or the environment. To reduce AMU, antimicrobials must be used in a prudent and rational manner. Extensive efforts have been made recently to identify the cognitive and behavioral barriers to the appropriate use of antimicrobials by various livestock sector stakeholders. However, most studies carried out thus far have only partly captured the dynamic and systemic dimension of the processes involved in changes of practices related to AMU on farms. To shed light on the transition pathways implemented to reduce AMU, a qualitative study was conducted in France based on 28 semi-structured interviews with farmers, technicians and veterinarians from the free-range broiler production sector. Based on the thematic analysis of verbatims, we identified technical improvements which are key contributors to reduced AMU. We also highlighted some gaps in knowledge regarding AMU and antimicrobial resistance. We found that, rather than individual motivations alone, the extent to which farmers are embedded in collective organizations is decisive for changes in practices, and downstream operators (distributors and slaughterers) play a key role in the beginning of AMU transition pathways. As a result, we show that change in AMU requires a global rethinking of the overall socio-technical system rather than modifications of a single element in a farming system. Our results also highlight that transition pathways toward reduced AMU cannot just rely on trigger events, but also involves medium or long-term processes, with actors' experiences and practices being modified on an incremental basis over time. Our study sheds light on the need for multi and trans-disciplinary research involving the social sciences to analyze interactions between stakeholders and the collective actions implemented to tackle the challenge of AMU reduction.

Perception of poultry veterinarians on the use of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance in egg production

“…Among the reasons considered as requiring a quick decision, the occurrence of mortality in the flock was the most frequently cited one, followed by the presence of clinical signs with potential to cause mortality or a drop in egg production. The presence of clinical signs and increased mortality stand out as the main factors for the use of antibiotics in previous studies related to poultry production ( Adam et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Imam et al, 2020 ) and other livestock species ( Norris et al, 2019 ; Imam et al, 2020 ), indicating that the worry about economic losses is an important driver for the use of antimicrobials. Among the diseases that lead to the use of antimicrobials, those related to the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts were the most frequently mentioned ones in the above studies, as well as those listed by the interviewees in our study.…”

“…The prioritization of the professional's experience instead of a decision based on investigation of both the disease causes and the results of antimicrobial resistance testing has also appeared in other studies. In this sense, the costs of such procedures and, mainly, the lack of accessibility to microbiological diagnostic services were mentioned as major bottlenecks ( Norris et al, 2019 ; Adam et al, 2020 ; Padda et al, 2021 ). For instance, Bourély et al (2018) pointed out that the lack of proximity between farms and diagnostic laboratories represents a delay factor in obtaining results and a reason for not performing antimicrobial resistance testing.…”

“…For instance, Bourély et al (2018) pointed out that the lack of proximity between farms and diagnostic laboratories represents a delay factor in obtaining results and a reason for not performing antimicrobial resistance testing. To avoid this problem, actions such as keeping recent records of diseases that have affected the herd or flock, the antibiotics used in previous production cycles, and the resistance profiles of bacteria promoting previous outbreaks were mentioned as practices that can help in quick decision-making based on experience, albeit within a concept of the prudent use of antibiotics ( Adam et al, 2020 ; World Organization for Animal Health, 2020 ).…”

The antimicrobial landscape as outlined by Danish dairy farmers

“…Organic farming might have had a head start on this journey due to its general principles and regulations on AMU, closer collaboration with consumers and targeted marketing, and a distinct differentiation from conventional farming (Stock, 2007), which seem to have created a feeling of coherence and collectiveness among organic farmers. This feeling has previously been shown to be important in reducing AMU (Adam et al, 2020). However, other farmers' opinions and practices are also of importance to farmers.…”

“…The antimicrobial landscape as outlined by Danish dairy farmers Nanna K. Skjølstrup, 1 * Dorte B. Lastein, 1 Carsten S. Jensen, 2 and Mette Vaarst 3 There is an increasing awareness of the importance of context in trying to understand farmers and their potential to change their AMU, as opposed to a sole focus on individual behavior (Chandler, 2019;Adam et al, 2020;Begemann et al, 2020;Rynkiewich, 2020). The notion of landscape can provide a framework for describing the structures and actors involved in a given context (Ormond, 2016;Tsing, 2017).…”