Quantification, description and international comparison of antimicrobial use on Irish pig farms

Abstract

Background There is concern that the use of antimicrobials in livestock production has a role in the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in animals and humans. Consequently, there are increasing efforts to reduce antimicrobial use (AMU) in agriculture. As the largest consumer of veterinary antimicrobials in several countries, the pig sector is a particular focus of these efforts. Data on AMU in pig production in Ireland are lacking. This study aimed to quantify AMU on Irish pig farms, to identify the major patterns of use employed and to compare the results obtained to those from other published reports and studies. Results Antimicrobial use data for 2016 was collected from 67 Irish pig farms which represented c. 35% of national production. The combined sample population consumed 14.5 t of antimicrobial by weight of active ingredient suggesting that the pig sector accounted for approximately 40% of veterinary AMU in Ireland in 2016. At farm level, median AMU measured in milligram per population correction unit (mg/PCU) was 93.9 (range: 1.0–1196.0). When measured in terms of treatment incidence (TI200), median AMU was 15.4 (range: 0.2–169.2). Oral treatments accounted for 97.5% of all AMU by weight of active ingredient and were primarily administered via medicated feed to pigs in the post weaning stages of production. AMU in Irish pig production in 2016 was higher than results obtained from the national reports of Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and France but lower than the United Kingdom. Conclusions Pig production in Ireland is an important consumer of veterinary antimicrobials. The quantities and patterns of AMU on Irish pig farms are comparable to pig production in other European countries but higher than some countries with more advanced AMU reduction strategies. This AMU is characterised by a high proportion of prophylactic use and is primarily administered to pigs post weaning via medicated feed. Further studies to better understand the reasons for AMU on Irish pig farms and strategies to improve health among weaner pigs will be of benefit in the effort to reduce AMU.

Does the Use of Different Indicators to Benchmark Antimicrobial Use Affect Farm Ranking?

“…Four classes of antimicrobials, tetracyclines, potentiated sulphonamides, macrolides and penicillins, accounted for almost all use. Moreover, high use was always associated with medication of older weaner pigs and or finisher pigs (35). Therefore, it seems that the overall pattern of use is a more important determinant of rank than the weighting given to the antimicrobial used.…”

“…Antimicrobial use data for the 2016 calendar year were collected from farrow-to-finish pig farms in Ireland as part of crosssectional study investigating AMU. Details of the data collection and descriptive results are reported elsewhere (35). Briefly, all 107 client farms of the Teagasc 4 Pig Development Department advisory service were invited to enroll in the study; 67 volunteered to participate.…”

“…Table 2 provides a summary of AMU at farm level as measured by each of the indicators and for each route of administration. A detailed description of AMU on the sample farms is reported elsewhere (35). Table 2 also presents the breakdown of AMU for the primary routes of administration in each indicator for the combined sample population.…”

Why do Irish pig farmers use medications? Barriers for effective reduction of antimicrobials in Irish pig production

“…This emphasises the need to improve pig farmers’ knowledge of animal welfare and to ameliorate communication between stakeholders. Moreover, given that farmers’ perceive that AMU is generally low in Ireland, the implementation of on-farm monitoring systems at national level is fundamental because it will provide further data on the actual use, the potential associated cost and will improve the national benchmarking scheme recently started [ 80 , 81 ]. Finally, these findings are useful for national authorities as guidelines when proposing recommendations regarding prudent AMU on-farm and for the development of effective Irish policies and education strategies for its reduction.…”

Risk Factors for Antimicrobial Use on Irish Pig Farms

“…According to Collineau et al, the relative importance of risk factors associated with AMU varies between countries [17]. In Ireland, pig production accounts for approximately 40% of veterinary AM consumption, with prophylactic administration of medicated feed being the dominant practice [47], but the drivers for this use on Irish farms have not been studied previously. This study aimed to explore the risk factors for AMU in a cohort of Irish farrow-to-finish farms using AMU, biosecurity, respiratory disease and farm management data.…”