.
More information on the prospect of a vet antibiotics ban.
If the level of drug sales income is similar in the UK, it is indeed a
matter of concern. We know that the levels of prescription for pigs in
the UK is massive and has been for years, despite Defra's deliberate
fudging of the figures.
You can see the start of the blame game between vets and farmers in
the last sentence.
The vets know they are now in serious trouble and are very anxious to
shift blame to the farmers. You can sense the same thing happening in
the UK.
The writer is with the farmers. The present antibiotic crisis could never have
happened without the full collusion, instigation and approval of the
vets.
They had the education and the qualifications, they made the
prescriptions and the big money. No British farmer dared go against
the advice of his vet. The RSPCA saw to that. Ignoring or not seeking
the advice of a vet apparently equals animal cruelty in the UK.
The government vets regarded the faking of tests and documents as
appropriate conduct and the intimidation of witnesses to Parliament as
part of their brief. Pig farmers told me that they dared not stand up
to Maff-Defra's criminalised veterinary service.
The farmers are left with the problems and handling a British public
that will go nuts when they find out just what has been going on. The
public trusted their vets, but will not allow their reckless practices
to endanger the health of their children.
No amount of "All Creatures Great and Small" is going to help.
As usual the Dutch are to be commended for their integrity in bringing
the problem to the surface and starting to tackle the root causes.
http://www.pigprogress.net/news/dutch-ag-min-wants-vet-drug-sales-ban-3274.html
Dutch Ag Min wants Vet drug sales ban 11 Aug 2009
According to the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Science (KNMvD)
20-50% of the income of Dutch veterinarians comes from selling animal
medicines. Dutch Minster for Agriculture Gerda Verburg wants to
investigate whether the sale of animal medicines (antibiotics) by
veterinarians must be banned in the Netherlands.
Antibiotic resistance
According to Verburg, the high antibiotic use in the Dutch livestock
sector may be linked back to the fact that vets earn a lot of money by
selling the antibiotics. Verburg advocates minimising the use of
(therapeutic) antibiotics in the livestock sector because it may
result in antibiotic resistant bacteria in humans.
In-feed antibiotic ban
The ban on antibiotic growth promoters has led to a reduced use of
antibiotics on farms. Antibiotics are now only used as a therapeutic
measure and can only be subscribed by a veterinarian. On average, a
pig in the Netherlands receives 32 doses of antibiotics per year.
Denmark supplies 9 dosses per pig per year. In the Netherlands,
antibiotics are often given to a whole animal group, even when only
one animal in that group is ill.
Farmer's mentality
A ban on the sale of antibiotics by veterinarians is not the only
measure to reduce the antibiotics use in the Dutch livestock sector.
Also farmers need to change their mentality says the KNMvD.
