Antibiotics

When keeping animals, it is essential to ensure their health and welfare. This includes strict housing and management measures to prevent diseases. When infections occur, animals may need to be treated, often with antibiotics to aid recovery.

Side effects of antibiotic use

The overuse of antibiotics has side effects. Uncontrolled use can lead to antibiotic resistance, making infections harder to treat. This problem affects not only the animal sector, but also human health.

Plan for reducing antibiotic use

In 2008, the Dutch animal sectors, the government and the organisation of veterinarians drew up a plan to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry. This plan led to significant successes: in 2017, there was an overall reduction of 63% in the animal sectors and a 74% reduction in the broiler sector. The use of crucial antibiotics for human healthcare has been reduced even more significantly.

The plan stipulates that only veterinarians can prescribe antibiotics after on-farm assessment, which was previously done by farmers themselves. All antibiotic use is recorded in a central database monitored by the Veterinary Medicines Authority (SDa). Animals with antibiotic residues may not be slaughtered for human consumption.

Action plan for further reduction

In 2015, a new agreement was reached to further reduce the use of antibiotics, as the decline seemed to be slowing down. Each animal sector developed specific plans for further reduction before 2020. This plan proved successful, with a 74% reduction in antibiotic use in the broiler sector in 2017 compared to 2009.