The use of antibiotics, whether to treat animals or humans, is at the origin of an excessive selection of bacterial resistances, their development and then their persistence in the environment.
This phenomenon called antibiotic resistance represents a danger with the risk of a loss of effectiveness of these drugs and of no longer being able to treat.
The end of the Ecoantibio 2 plan in 2023 and the prospect of a third plan were an opportunity to take stock and identify the major areas of work for the years to come. This reflection was led by a group of practicing veterinarians (1), the pork (Inaporc) and poultry (Anvol) interprofessional organizations, the technical institutes (Ifip, Itavi), the Ministry of Agriculture and animal health researchers (Inrae, Cirad) (2)brought together in the Roadmap project (Rethinking Of Antimicrobial Decision-Systems in the Management of Animal Production) funded by the European Union (H2020 program-Sustainable Food Security).
Towards the “better” and not just the “less”
Since 2012, the two Ecoantibio plans have enabled the livestock sector to thoroughly review its animal health management practices. The reduction in the use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine has been very substantial, since the French poultry and pig sectors have seen their use of antibiotics drop by nearly 50% in twelve years.
These strong reductions raise questions about the future margins of progress. It is very likely that a quantitative reduction in the volumes of antibiotics used will be difficult, unless it compromises the health and welfare of the animals, as well as the economic viability of the farms. Prescription and use practices focused on the “best” and not just on the “less” are to be encouraged.
Need for a health approach by farm
To move in this direction, it is necessary to move away from the sole monitoring of antibiotic use, which is only an overall indicator of treatment and not of health status. The working group believes that increasingly precise management of the state of animal health is necessary at the farm level. It is a question of linking the state of health of the herd with its state of well-being, and of knowing its own level of resistance to antibiotics.
Three issues emerged. First, to better define the health status of the farm, by evaluating the occurrence of health problems, the history of care strategies, the known resistances on the farm.
The second axis is the deepening of the relationship between the state of health of the herd and its state of well-being, to specify the health alert criteria and the thresholds in the context of the breeding (behaviour, mortality, state of droppings , lameness…). It is also about better detecting weak signals to anticipate the management of health problems.
At the same time, the strengthening of prophylaxis (vaccination, nutrition, water quality, etc.), in particular for young animals (reduction of bacterial carriage, strengthening of immune defences, etc.) is to be continued.
Share and communicate
Added to this is the study of the impacts of antibiotic reduction on the competitiveness of sectors, on public health and on the environment (eg dissemination of genes, bacteria). There are also issues of data sharing and the provision of progress tools.
Communicating to the general public and consumers about the proper use of antibiotics in relation to animal health and well-being is also a challenge for the future. It is important to make people understand the interest of antibiotics in treating animals.
(1) National Society of Veterinary Technical Groups, National Union of Veterinary Advisors, Order of Veterinarians.
(2) Cirad: agricultural research and international cooperation organization.