Antibiotic resistance is one of the main public health concerns at a global level.
The indiscriminate use of antibiotics promotes the development of bacteria that are resistant to the treatments, and that it is why it is so important to use them responsibly.
Reducing their use has become a priority in all the health areas, and especially in the pig sector.
Sometimes, livestock has been administered antibiotics preventively, but they should only receive them if expressly prescribed by a veterinarian to fight infections.
At ACH we defend the responsible use of antibiotics in the pig sector, and because of that S.A.T. Hermanos Chico signed a voluntary agreement for the reduction in the use of antibiotics of the REDUCE Colistin Program.
Do you want to know what it is all about? Keep on reading.
REDUCE Colistin Program
The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios, AEMPS) launched the creation of a strategic plan for the reduction of the risk of selection and spreading of antibiotic resistances. It is with this goal that the National Plan Against Antibiotic Resistances (Plan Nacional frente a la Resistencia a los Antibióticos, PRAN) was born.
The PRAN has launched a series of programs for the voluntary reduction in the consumption of certain antibiotics in different species, and in 2016 it launched the Reduce Colistin Program in pigs: an agreement signed by the representatives of the national associations of veterinarians and professionals in the pig sector for the voluntary reduction in the consumption of colistin in the Spanish pig sector.
The aims of the program are:
- The reduction in the consumption of colistin. The reduction shall be established as if it were in sections, with the quantitative goal of 5 mg/PCU in three years at the most.
- The control of the use of alternative antibiotics, avoiding the increase in the consumption of neomycin and/or apramycin as possible substitutes of colistin.
The success of the first PRAN has been considerable, because the sales of antibiotics have dropped by 32.4% in the 2014-2017 period, and the REDUCE program has reached a reduction in the consumption of colistin by 97.18 % in pigs (2015-2018).
This program has been recently expanded with a second stage (2019-2021).
S.A.T. Hermanos Chico and the decrease in the use of antibiotics in pigs
At ACH we are committed to animal welfare and we are aware that animal health is related to human health and the care for the environment, and because of that, at S.A.T. Hermanos Chico we have joined the REDUCE program to work together with the authorities and experts in the “One Health” strategy.
We have adapted the management of our health programs, focusing them on a restrained use of colistin and avoiding the alternative use of neomycin and apramycin.
We are reducing the use of colistin in the feed and drinking water as most as possible, focusing on a therapeutic and individual use, avoiding metaphylaxis and completely refraining from antibiotic prophylaxis.
We, together with all the pig sector, keep on working towards the improvement of a sensible and rational use of antibiotics.
Know about our commitment with innovation in favour of animal welfare in this article.
