Antibiotic Use in Poultry Production in Grenada

Abstract

Objective. Research is often lacking in low-income countries to substantiate the regulation of antibiotics in poultry production. Nonregulation of antibiotics in food animal industries has implications for human health. This study was conducted to provide an understanding of farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use of antibiotics in poultry production in Grenada. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted in August-September, 2016, surveying 30 poultry farmers each having 500 or more chickens grown for commercial purposes. Results. More than 1000 birds were kept on 18 (60.0%) farms. Antibiotics were used on the majority of farms (25, 83.3%). More than half of the respondents, 19 (63.3%), stated they were only somewhat aware of issues related to the use of antibiotics and the majority, 21 (70.0%), were also unable to define antimicrobial resistance. There was inconsistency in the farmers’ knowledge about how and when to use antibiotics. There was also a high level of noncompliance with manufacturers’ recommendations for use of antibiotics. The respondents were not aware of local programs to monitor antibiotic use or manage antibiotic resistance in the poultry industry. Conclusion. Generally, the farmers’ knowledge and practices were inconsistent with recommendations by the World Health Organization for antibiotic stewardship. While low-income countries, such as Grenada, are challenged with the lack of resources to undertake research and implement responsive actions, this research highlights the need for some immediate measures of remedy, such as education of farmers and monitoring procurement and use of antibiotics, to reduce risk to public health.

A Review of Antimicrobial Resistance in Poultry Farming within Low-Resource Settings

“…In LMICS, misperceptions of AMU and AMR emergence is common among small-scale poultry farmers [ 118 , 271 ]. This knowledge gap is further exacerbated by the fact that antimicrobials are typically purchased over the counter in animal agriculture stores [ 140 , 271 , 282 ].…”

“…Small-scale intensive operations typically raise broiler or layer chickens with antimicrobials administered in commercial feed and water [ 15 , 43 ]. Various studies have reported that inappropriate use of antimicrobial agents remains common among family operated systems due to a lack of AMR awareness and access to quality veterinary services [ 116 , 117 , 118 ]. Intensive family operations typically lack the financial resources to support minimal biosafety standards that are present in commercial operations.…”

Antibiotic Residues in Chickens and Farmers’ Knowledge of Their Use in Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam, in 2017

“…There was inconsistency in the farmers' knowledge about how and when to use antibiotics. 23 In our study, almost all farmers agreed with the need of using antibiotics in livestock, but they thought that antibiotics should be sold by veterinarians. Similar results to that reported in our study, a study in Carolina, Brazil, also showed that 100% of farmers had a demand for antibiotics.…”

“…This is quite explainable because using antibiotics for disease prevention or treatment is a common habit of livestock farmers in Vietnam and but also elsewhere, such as a study in Grenada showed that antibiotics were used on 83.3% of farms. 23 There was also a high level of noncompliance with manufacturers' recommendations for use of antibiotics. Alternative methods for not using antibiotics but still ensuring effectiveness in breeding mainly come from the experiences of the farmers themselves.…”

Broiler Response on Increase in Flour Leaves Miana (Coleus atropurpureus, L) as a Feed Aditive in Ration

“…The highest consumption of ration was in treatment A (without miana leaf flour in ration), while the lowest consumption was in treatment D (3% / kg ration) (Table 3, Figure 2). The low consumption of miana flour is caused by the taste of the miana leaf flour which tends to be bitter, [9] states that chickens do not like feed that tastes bitter, so that at the beginning of feeding the consumption is less compared to without miana leaves, after accustomed to consumption will also increase as usual.…”