Page 11 - Australian Pork Newspaper

New report shows progress in achieving farm antibiotic targets in the UK
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TWELVE months af- ter industry-led targets for antibiotic use were identified for all main farm livestock species in the UK, a review of progress has been re- leased, including details of where targets have been achieved early and where challenges remain
The ‘One Year On’ re- port, issued by the Re- sponsible Use of Medi- cines in Agriculture Alli- ance’s Targets Task Force, is a follow-up to the work of the group in 2017 when a leading farmer and vet- erinary surgeon from each sector identified different starting points and poten- tial for reduction in each species, then worked with their respective sectors to gain support for the plans.
RUMA’s secretary gen- eral Chris Lloyd said this new review not only shows the transparency and accountability with which each sector is ad- dressing its targets, but al- so collects information on progress into one place.
“The UK farming indus- try has already achieved
reductions of 40 percent in sales of antibiotics over the past five years and is one of the lowest users of antibiotics in Europe,” he said.
“However, delivering against these and future sector-specific goals will be key to meeting the gov- ernment’s ambitions in its new five-year Antimicro- bial Resistance Strategy, to be released early next year.
“What this review shows is the industry as a whole is committed and making good progress – but also that the sectors are all in very different places.
“Some species have met their targets already but now, with a measure of what’s happening in their sector, they know they can go further and are work- ing on new goals.
“For others at or around their optimal level of use, progress is about animal health, continual refine- ments to what they do and working to overcome new diseases threats as they emerge.”
Mr Lloyd said the pig
sector is on track to meet its ambitious target reduc- tions by 2020 but there is awareness of how much tougher it will get each year to deliver the changes needed.
The next steps could require investment or brave decision-making for some.
“Cattle and sheep farm- ers and their veterinary surgeons are also work- ing on a range of inter- ventions, though a lack of representative data on antibiotic use across these specific sectors continues to be a challenge,” Mr Lloyd said.
“If they had access to better data, this would give them more clarity over what is actually be- ing used, and when – and where – improvements
could be made.”
Mr Lloyd also stressed
the importance of respon- sible reductions that do not compromise animal health and its associated welfare.
“The approach has to be sustainable with an end- goal of optimal – not zero – use,” he said.
“Antibiotics play an im- portant role in preventing pain and suffering in our farm livestock as well as ensuring food safety.
“This is why it’s im- portant to judge progress against the whole range of qualitative and quan- titative measures in the review.”
The ‘Targets Task Force: One Year On’ report can be downloaded from the RUMA website ruma.org. uk
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Better weather
information, better
agricultural results
AUSTRALIAN farmers will soon have easy ac- cess to crucial climate and weather information thanks to a joint pro- ject between the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO.
Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Da- vid Littleproud said the new weather and climate guides would give valu- able information to all 56 Natural Resource Man- agement regions.
“The Bureau has a wealth of information farmers need and this will put it in their hands,” Minister Littleproud said.
“Reliable climate in- formation helps farmers make the best decisions they can to manage risks.
“It will help them bet- ter understand tempera- ture and rainfall ranges, frost risk, the onset and length of wet seasons, wa- ter storage levels and the likelihood and severity of drought, natural disasters and cold snaps.
“Today Condamine farmers have a chance to tell the Bureau what in- www.porknews.com.au
formation is most valuable for them and how to best deliver it.
“This will mean farm- ers won’t have to rely on guesswork to make deci- sions that affect their live- lihoods.
“This is particularly im- portant during a drought like the one we’re cur- rently going through.”
The Bureau will start off trialling the service online and taking feedback from farmers to make sure it hits the mark.
“The service is expected to be up and running early next year,” Minister Lit- tleproud said.
“These guides are part of the Government’s on- going and long-term drought response.
“Our drought support covers a range of areas, including immediate fi- nancial assistance and building resilience and preparedness in rural and regional communities.”
For more information about the climate guides, email agriculture@bom. gov.au
Australian Pork Newspaper, December 2018 – Page 11
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