Frej Think Tank - Tænketanken Frej

VetSalus Scandinavia Involved in AMU Think Tank project

Members of VetSalus Scandinavian team were involved in supporting a Danish government think tank initiative. The project was led by Tænketanken Frej (think tank) who acted as facilitators and published the concluding summary document, with the workshop bringing together a wide range of interested parties, including farmers, vets, the pharmaceutical industry, food producers and researchers.

Denmark is already recognised as a pioneer in reducing the use of antibiotics and enjoys a leadership role, especially in Europe. The country is among the lowest consumers of antibiotics within Europe, on a corrected population basis, but considerable variation exists between age groups and species. As an exporter of many livestock products, Denmark attracts significant international attention and this brings additional responsibilities; being positioned among the best in the world can act as an important catalyst for ongoing improvement.

The project title, "Reduction of the use of antibiotics in animal production” summarises the intent of the project workshop, which was attended by over 60 individuals in November 2023, with the specific goal of providing recommendations to government and local authorities. The subtitle of the project, 'Fra Bonden til Borgen’ (from Farm to Parliament) captures the breadth of the input and the need to communicate required actions to the government.

Analysis indicates that the Danish farming industry is mainly based on pigs and cattle, with the former using over 70 tons of antibiotic per annum (based on kilograms of active substance). Reduction in antibiotic use in pigs has been steady, with a 20% drop over the last 10 years. However the road to such progress contains a few speed bumps, not least when the phasing out of zinc additives led to some increase in antibiotic use, particularly in younger animals. Sensibly, the meeting did not become embroiled in a pointless “Who is to blame debate: animals or humans?” The science here is still far from certain and the group quickly focused on providing practical recommendations.

The meeting recognised that much of the success of reduction of antibiotic use in Denmark, has been a result of the existing yellow card policy. This scheme mimics football’s system, where yellow cards are presented to players for bad play, and can eventually lead to red cards. The Danish yellow card scheme monitors on farm antibiotic usage and exceeding a predetermined level leads to a yellow card warning. One of the recommendations of the meeting was to change the levels at which a yellow card is presented and to increase flexibility, adapting the card’s criteria in different situations i.e. young cattle have completely different levels of antibiotic use compared to adults and increasing specificity by age group will enhance impact.

A number of other recommendations emerged from the discussions, including:

• Changes in EU regulations to allow increased flexibility in veterinary prescriptions. The prescriptive methodology upon which antibiotics are currently prescribed by veterinarians is seen as leading to potential overuse in some situations.

• Changes in the way that feed additives are allowed to be marketed to farmers, so that their preventive aspects are emphasised

• A greater economic incentive to lower antibiotic use, especially in cattle

• Better benchmarking of monitored results

• Changes to housing systems, thereby improving general animal health

• Education, training and upskilling. This is an area in which VetSalus has a particular interest.

• Improvements in diagnosis so as to avoid over prescribing

• Breeding better animals with enhanced disease resistance.

The think tank clearly demonstrates that a wide based discussion between groups, who bring differing perspectives, can lead to valuable insights and action plans. However, it is important to remember, that a focus on one area is not sufficient: a single goal approach can lead to imbalance and fundamentally animal welfare must always remain a critical part of the mix. Adopting a One Health approach increases the likelihood of a balanced approach.Coincidentally, the United Kingdom has just released a document on the same subject which sets out its own plans for the next five years¹.

The paper provides details on the second phase of a twenty year National Action Plan to reduce antimicrobial use. While three of the themes presented are somewhat predictable : reduction of need, optimisation of use and investing in innovation, it is pleasing to see that the need to be a strong global partner is emphasised. The two reports have much in common and recognising that AMU resistance is a global problem provides an important cornerstone upon which continued progress can be built.

VetSalus Scandinavia greatly appreciated the opportunity to participate in this think tank and looks forward to assisting the implementation of its findings.