Need for an antibiotic-free food animal industry

 By Dr Manjula D Ghoora, Consultant, Sathguru Management Consultants

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a severe global health concern. It has created a scenario where infections and diseases in humans, animals, and plants become difficult to treat due to the development of bacterial and viral resistance to the drugs specifically designed to kill them. In 2019 alone, a staggering 1.27 million people died due to antibiotic-drug-resistant bacteria, contributing to considerable suffering and losses to animals. Furthermore, the presence of antibiotics in soil and waterways has led to the emergence of resistant bacterial strains in the environment, which adversely affects both animals and humans who interact with these ecosystems. This phenomenon transcends origins and affects all species: humans, animals, and plants alike.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), previously referred to as Office International des Epizooties (OIE) has estimated the consumption of approximately 77,086 tonnes of antimicrobials in animals in 2019. Remarkably, nearly half of these antimicrobials are categorised as tetracyclines, establishing them as the most extensively employed agents in the global animal health sector. Following closely is the usage of penicillin. Importantly, both tetracyclines and penicillin fall within the Veterinary Critically Important Antimicrobial (VCIA) class, as designated by WOAH.

In response to the escalating crisis, the Member States of both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and WOAH/OIE have initiated a series of measures aimed at curbing AMR. Their collective efforts are geared towards ensuring the judicious application of antimicrobials.

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 By Dr Manjula D Ghoora, Consultant, Sathguru