The British pig industry is taking the issue of antibiotic resistance very seriously and is committed to action, pledged Dr Georgina Crayford, National Pig Association senior adviser, at Pig Fair this morning.
National Pig Association's (NPA) newly-launched Pig Industry Antibiotic Stewardship Programme would pull together different strands of activity in the industry with the overall aim of pinpointing ares for improvement, she said.
"The whole topic of the use of antibiotics in agriculture, and how that impacts resistance in humans is complex and hotly debated, but what we are saying with this stewardship programme is that we acknowledge we have a role to play, to use antibiotics seriously.
"We are committed to taking action to minimise use where possible. But before we can say how much we are going to reduce, we need to pinpoint how much we are using and at the moment.
"All we have at present is data on volumes sold jointly for pigs and poultry. So the first stage is to get an idea of exactly what we're using — and then we should be able to say how much we need to reduce by.
"I think it is also important to say that using antibiotics responsibly is not just about reducing usage overall, it's also about refining how they are used, making sure the right antibiotic is being used at the right dose and at the right time.
She added, "It's also about making sure we have replacements for protecting animal health and welfare, whether that's in the form of vaccines or improved biosecurity."
Dr Crayford explained the first stage of activity under the NPA stewardship programme was to persuade as many pig producers as possible to contribute their usage data to the industry's new levy-funded on-line Electronic Medicines Book.
Once the industry had a critical mass of solid data it would be possible to benchmark and make informed progress, she said.
She acknowledged the pig sector had been slower off the mark in organising itself to address society's concerns about antibiotic resistance. "We are less integrated than poultry and therefore not always able to act so quickly."
