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![Consumption of active substance (kg) by drug group and route of administration (oral and parenteral) from 26 fattening operations located in northwestern Italy, for the years 2014 and 2015. In bold are the highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HPCIA) in category B according to the European Medicine Agency [26].](publication/352808440/figure/tbl2/AS:1039919950610438@1624947645732/Consumption-of-active-substance-kg-by-drug-group-and-route-of-administration-oral-and.png)
Consumption of active substance (kg) by drug group and route of administration (oral and parenteral) from 26 fattening operations located in northwestern Italy, for the years 2014 and 2015. In bold are the highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HPCIA) in category B according to the European Medicine Agency [26].
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Antimicrobial usage in veterinary medicine is thought to be a source of antimicrobial resistance, with possible implications for human health. Certain antibiotics are considered critical for human health, and their use is being judiciously reduced in animal productions. The monitoring of antimicrobial consumption in animal production...
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... Many previous studies on the overuse of antimicrobials by farmers mainly focused on three levels: 1) identifying the factors affecting the overuse of antimicrobials by farmers that mainly include individual characteristics, such as gender, age, and education level [9]; management characteristics, such as breeding experience, breeding scale, biosecurity measures, and participating organization [10][11][12][13]. Moreover, access to antimicrobials, veterinary services, government subsidies, government supervision, and skills training are also essential factors affecting farmers' decisions to overuse antimicrobials [14]. ...
Antimicrobial resistance caused by the overuse of antimicrobials by farmers is an essential health issue. Currently, signing contracts between farmers and cooperatives has become crucial for small farmers to integrate into the modern agricultural industry chain. Unlike vertical government governance, which aims to intervene in the overuse of antimicrobials by farmers through many mandatory or incentive measures, contract governance refers to the social governance model that clarifies rights and obligations between farmers and cooperatives to ensure the adequate performance of contracts, which is especially beneficial to regulate farmers' safe production behavior such as the standard use of antimicrobials. However, there is a research gap concerning the effectiveness of contract governance in inhibiting farmers' overuse of animal antimicrobials. This study applies propensity score matching and mediation analysis method to assess how contract governance affects the overuse of antimicrobials by hog farmers. The paper uses data from 498 hog farmers of China's Hebei, Henan, and Hubei provinces to explore the impact and underlying mechanisms of contract governance on antimicrobial overuse in agriculture. The results showed that contract governance was found to inhibit the overuse of antimicrobials, with the amount paid for antimicrobials reduced by 118 yuan/household. We found evidence that this effect is exerted through three mechanisms: cooperative supervision (CS), technical guidance (TG), and product premium perception (PP). The CS, TG, and PP mediation effects accounted for 19.94%, 27.90%, and 26.93% of the total impact, respectively. Therefore, policy implications of these results include strengthening the standard of contract signing procedures and the integrity of executing contracts, increasing the market premium for products that meet the antimicrobial residue standards, and enhancing farmers' knowledge and contracting ability.
... Furthermore, the species most frequently treated with the antibiotic class also influence the formulation of the antibiotic from the pharmaceutical industry perspective. Generally, oral formulations are most often used for group treatments rather than individual treatments, as was reported in an Italian study on antimicrobial use in beef-fattening operations [45] and a similar study on Swiss veal calves [46]. Antibiotics that are primarily administered to poultry and pigs are more likely to be formulated for oral administration, as these species are more likely to be treated as a group through feed or water. ...
Major efforts have been made by veterinary professionals to reduce the need for antibiotic use in animals. An online survey launched by the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) aimed to gather responses from practicing veterinarians with field experience in metaphylactic livestock group treatment. Only 17% of all veterinarians (n = 183/1087, all species-specific responses merged) applied metaphylactic group treatments to 75% or more of all their treatments. Significantly less metaphylactic group treatments were reported in mixed practices (p = 0.002) and practices specialized in cattle (p < 0.001) as well as small (p = 0.007) and very small practices (p = 0.009). Gram-negative bacteria, mostly composed of Enterobacteriaceae and Pasteurellaceae, were considered by 75.3% (n = 967/1385) as the most devastating bacterial pathogens. Respondents alleged morbidity (20.1%, n = 201/998) and mortality (42.2%, n = 421/998) as major consequences for animal health and welfare if metaphylaxis would be banned. Responding veterinarians pointed towards vaccinations; improved biosecurity, including hygiene measures; and improved herd health management as the three most effective alternative measures to prevent metaphylactic treatment. However, more research is needed on how to implement appropriate alternatives in a holistic hurdle approach. Active support on a national level will be necessary for the development and application of targeted veterinary treatment guidelines for practitioners, which promote the understanding of drivers and include initiation criteria for metaphylactic group treatments in livestock.
On a livestock farm where antimicrobial administration and its history had been managed for prudent use of antimicrobials, we surveyed antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli strains isolated from cow feces and the surrounding environment (i.e., rat and crow feces, and water samples from a drainage pit and wastewater processing tank) every month for 1 year. Two strains (1.7%) in cow feces were resistant to tetracycline, whereas all other strains were susceptible to all other antimicrobials. Among 136 strains isolated from cows and wild animals, only one ampicillin-resistant strain was identified. The antibiotic resistance rate in the drainage from the barn was 8.3% (10/120), and all strains showed susceptibility for 8 months of the year. Tetracycline resistance was common in all resistant strains isolated from animal feces and water samples; all tetracycline-resistant strains carried tetA. These results strongly support the proper use and management of antibiotics on farms to minimize the outbreak and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
