October 23, 2009
Denmark's antibiotic use on pigs up 12 percent in H1
The use of antibiotics for pigs in Denmark increased 12 percent during the first half of 2009, according to new figures from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
The growth in the use of antibiotics reflects a rise in the number of pigs in the first half of 2009. The number of sows rose by six to seven percent, leading to a rise in number of piglets.
There were also greater incidence of diseases among piglets, therefore more animals were treated with antibiotics during the period.
Despite the rise, a new report from the Danish Integrated Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring and Research Programme (DANMAP) shows a decline in the use of antibiotics important to the development of resistance to the drugs.
Antibiotics used for pigs were also mainly those recommended by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration for reducing the risk of resistance development, thus cutting down in the use of antibiotics important in human treatment.
