Antibiotics deemed critical for human health should be banned immediately from animal agriculture, a government review on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has warned.
The O’Neill review’s final report, published on 19 May, claimed drug-resistant superbugs could kill 10 million people a year by 2050 - more than cancer kills today - unless urgent global action was taken to tackle AMR.
Setting out 10 key areas for action, the report said the international community should focus on reducing “unnecessary” use of antibiotics in human and animal medicine and improving the supply of new antimicrobial drugs. Among the recommendations for animal agriculture was an immediate restriction or ban on drugs deemed critical for human health. “Too many antibiotics that are last‑line drugs for humans are being used in agriculture, sometimes without even professional oversight,” said the report.
“These need to be the prime focus of efforts to reduce consumption in animals and action should be taken on this now.”
The report also called on the international community to make improving surveillance of drug use on farms a “priority”, and said countries should set 10-year targets to reduce antibiotic use in animals from 2018.
Supply chain transparency on antibiotic use should also be improved so consumers could make “more informed” purchasing decisions, it added.
In response, the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance announced it would set up a task force to look at how “meaningful targets” could be developed to “replace, reduce and refine antibiotic use” in UK agriculture “This task force will harness the expertise of specialists across different sectors and work proactively with the authorities to look at identifying effective, evidence-based goals that work for our UK livestock sectors and protect animal welfare,” said John FitzGerald, RUMA’s secretary general.
The National Pig Association said the report’s headline recommendations would be incorporated into its recently launched Pig Industry Antibiotic Stewardship Programme.
“We support the report’s view that unnecessary use of antimicrobials in agriculture can cause a threat to human health and we agree with its key findings concerning agriculture,” said CEO Zoe Davies.
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