128 Herd-specific interventions to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production without jeopardising technical and economic performance (Research paper – Collineau – 2017

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128 Research paper – Collineau – 2017 – Herd-specific interventions to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production without jeopardising technical and economic performance

Biosecurity \ Pathogen management
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary: Pig farmers are strongly encouraged to reduce their antimicrobial usage in order to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Herd-level intervention is needed to achieve reduction targets. The objective of this study was to asses feasibility, effectiveness and return on investment these interventions aiming at reducing antimicrobial usage in pig production. An intervention study was conducted in 70 farrow-to-finish pig farms located in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. Following interventions, a reduction in antimicrobial use was achieved without negative impact on the technical performance. Mortality in suckling piglets, weaners and fatteners, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio did not significantly change during the study, while the number of weaned piglets per sow per year slightly increased. Median change in net farm profit was overall positive. Costs of alternative measures are therefore not a barrier, but an opportunity to optimize production practices for sustained productivity and improved animal health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28716198; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2017.05.023

Country: BE; CH; FR; SE; DE; DK;