Reduce antibiotic use by 'seeding, weeding and feeding'

The programme is based on improving gut health and reduce the need for routine antibiotic treatments
The programme is based on improving gut health and reduce the need for routine antibiotic treatments

Following success helping poultry producers reduce antibiotic use, a west country veterinary team is now extending its antibacterial programme to pigs.

The programme is based on improving pigs' natural health through a combination of probiotics, organic acids and water sanitation.

"We have spent many years pulling together the latest research and industry best practice from around the world," said Richard Turner, a partner with Exeter-based St. David's.

"Working with the large integrators we have put this into place on a number of poultry farms, with considerable success, and are now rolling it out to the pig sector.

"As a practice we started looking at antibiotic reduction ten years ago, and now more than 40 percent of medicines we use to treat infections are not antibiotics.

"There will always be situations where we have to treat with antibiotics, but in this country there hasn't been enough time spent looking at alternative approaches."

Through its Applied Bacterial Control programme, St David's has developed a bespoke strategy to boost natural gut health and reduce the need for routine antibiotic treatments.

Central to the system is clean water and the "seed, weed and feed" approach developed by Professor Stephen Collett at University of Georgia.

This involves seeding the gut with beneficial flora, feeding them by creating the right gut environment, and weeding out unfavourable microbes.

"Bacteria pass down from one generation to the next, so best results involve treating parent stock as well as youngsters on arrival at the farm," said Richard Turner.

"In the poultry sector adopting such a proactive approach to bird health has helped our clients to significantly improve production efficiencies, and we are now looking forward to helping pig producers do the same."