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Friday 22 June 2012

Antibiotic use in Dutch pigs falls again in 2011


The Dutch continue to reduce antibiotic use in livestock.

In Britain, after many years of knowing there was a problem, we still do not have any figures specific to pigs.

More detailed species specific information on Dutch usage available from site:



…Trends in total sales
In the period 2009-2011 the total sales of antibiotics, licensed for therapeutic use in animals in the Netherlands, decreased by nearly 32%, from 495 tonnes in 2009 to 338 tonnes in 2011 (FIDIN, 2012). This means that the policy objective for 2011, a 20% reduction in 2011 compared with 2009, was more than reached. As compared with 2007, the year with the highest sales, the decrease until 2011 was 40%.
Trends in use per species
In 2011, all animal production sectors in the Netherlands showed a decrease in antibiotic use:
·         sow/piglet farms: annual variation, decrease in 2010 and 2011;
·         fattening pig farms: increase until 2008, decrease from 2009 to 2011;
·         broiler farms: increase until 2009, decrease in 2010 and 2011;
·         veal calf farms: decrease from 2007 to 2011;
·         dairy farms: annual variation, decrease in 2011…