Building on a 10 percent reduction in the use of antibiotics to treat farm animals, the British Cattle Veterinary Association is encouraging its members and the cattle industry to further reduce the use of the antimicrobials, says The Cattle Site, a website for industry news. The recommendations are aimed at lower overall use of antibiotics and minimizing critically important antibiotics, such as cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and colistin.
The critically important drugs should be used only when tests show them “to be the only suitable choice to avoid unnecessary suffering,” said BCVA official Elizabeth Berry. The association also recommends that veterinarians avoid use of antibiotics to prevent disease so long as animal health is maintained.
At the start of this year, the FDA phased out use of medically important antibiotics to promote weight gain in cattle, hogs and poultry. The drugs are available for prevention and treatment of disease but only under veterinary supervisions. The new rules are part of a global drive to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for use against disease in humans.