News release
For immediate release

Brussels, Belgium, 05 November 2002: Sudden bans on use of “growth promoting” antibiotics in animals seriously impacts animal welfare, according to expert reports released today.  Experiences from Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere in Europe show that a sudden ban without consideration of the consequences increases animal sickness and mortality and leads to increased prescribing of therapeutic antibiotics.  These findings raise concerns about the counter-productive experiences of sudden ending of almost half a century of using antibiotic digestive enhancers (so-called “growth promoters”). 

Two of the papers, covering poultry production in the UK and swine production in Spain, note the increase of animal diseases in birds and pigs, resulting in the need for more therapeutic antibiotics.  In particular, in the UK, the suspension of approved “growth promoters” in poultry flocks is increasing the need for the use of therapeutic antibiotics to help control both classical diseases, such as necrotic enteritis, and some general intestinal dysfunctions. 

Mr. Edward Hird, Executive Board Member of FEDESA, the European Federation of Animal Health, said today: “All three papers highlight a similar problem.  Sudden changes in farming techniques are detrimental to animal welfare, causing greater suffering and mortality.  These adverse consequences need to be addressed prior to a Europe-wide removal of antibiotic growth promoters.  We need to understand more because there is not a single solution for Europe.” 

One of the papers also notes that pig farms in Spain have experienced higher production costs because of the effects caused by the greater number of treatments used and the increases in the number of veterinary emergency calls.  Pig producers and veterinarians are making a big effort to adapt to the adverse situation with little success in Spain, which not only uses different farming techniques to those found in Denmark but is also handicapped by the much warmer southern-European climate. 

Furthermore, the medical microbiologists and veterinarians conclude that no scientific evidence has been provided to demonstrate that banning antibiotic “growth promoters” in food animals has reduced resistant infections in humans. 

The independent experts note: “In our opinion, the efforts and expenditure involved in the imposition of the ban would much better have been spent on achieving rational antibiotic use in animals and humans, and on much greater efforts to understand the complex epidemiology of resistant pathogens and resistance genes, as well as on adequate risk assessments.  We also believe that the remaining “growth promoting” antibiotics still in use in Europe should not be banned until the adverse consequences can be dealt with in Europe as a whole.” 

The pan-European, independent groups of medical microbiology and veterinary experts include Mark Casewell, Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology (UK), Christian Friis, Professor of Veterinary Medicine (Denmark), Enrico Marco Granell, Swine Practitioner (Spain), Paul McMullin, Poultry Practitioner (UK) and Ian Phillips, Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology (UK).

Ends

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The title and authors of the three papers are: 

1) The European ban on growth-promoting antibiotics and its consequences for animal and human health
Mark Casewell, Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology (UK); Christian Friis, Professor of Veterinary Medicine (Denmark); Enrico Marco Granell, Swine Practitioner (Spain); Paul McMullin, Poultry Practitioner (UK) and Ian Phillips, Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology (UK)..  November 2002

2)  Effects of growth promoter withdrawal in Spain
Enrico Marco Granell, Swine Practitioner.  01 November 2002

3) Removal of antimicrobial growth promoters from commercial broiler production:  A brief review with particular reference to the UK
Paul McMullin, MVB DPMP MRCVS.  31 October 2002

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