July 5, 2023

Decline in antibiotic use continues across Dutch livestock sectors in 2022

A recently published report from Dutch farmers' group LTO showed that 2022 antibiotic use in farm animals in the country have declined, LTO reported.

The report highlighted the success of many animal farmers and veterinarians in their ongoing efforts to systematically reduce antibiotic use. The focus will continue to be on reducing antibiotic usage in companies and their veterinarians with historically high usage levels, aiming to minimise the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In sectors such as rabbits, pigs, and broilers, the implementation of action plans has yielded promising outcomes. Antibiotic use in these sectors declined by 32.4%, 23.8%, and 7.6% respectively in 2022, with a decrease in the number of companies exhibiting high antibiotic usage patterns.

The cattle sector has maintained a stable and low pattern of antibiotic use since 2014. However, the turkey and calf sectors experienced a slight increase of 4.0% and 5.6% respectively in antibiotic use compared to 2021.

Jeannette van de Ven, portfolio holder for Healthy Animals, said that the Netherlands leads the way in Europe with its careful policy and management regarding antibiotic use.

The report also revealed a significant decrease in antibiotic sales, with a decline of 22.9% in 2022 compared to 2021. This decline marks an impressive 77.4% reduction from the government-designated reference year of 2009.

-      LTO