November 29, 2021

De Heus recognises importance of reducing antibiotic use in livestock production

De Heus Animal Nutrition said it recognises the importance of cutting antibiotic use in livestock and aquaculture production, an issue highlighted recently by the World Health Organization (WHO).

"At De Heus, we feel the responsibility to help prevent further spreading of antibiotic resistance in both animals and humans. Therefore, we support farmers with the improvement of animal health without unnecessary usage of antibiotics," the company added. "We believe that healthy animals produce better, which is important to safeguard a farmer's income and increase their willingness to produce animal proteins in a more sustainable manner."

In March this year, De Heus decided to make the reduction of antibiotics one of its Global Green Goals. "These goals reflect our ambition towards more sustainable production of feed and food for 2030 by tackling the sustainability issues associated with the feed industry and the production of animal proteins."

Furthermore, by 2030, De Heus Animal Nutrition will not use antibiotics as growth promotors or as a preventive measure, and it will not use any antibiotic critical to human health.

The company said: "We know that responsible usage of antibiotics is a complicated challenge to tackle, because there are large differences between the countries and markets we operate in. But it is possible.

"We must each play our part to minimise the risk of bacteria developing resistance against antimicrobials. To help our customers and reach our own Global Green Goal, we are developing a programme called Natural Power. This programme provides farmers with targeted solutions to improve the health of their animals and optimise their performance. This will help them reduce their farm's dependency on antibiotics."

- De Heus