The quite extraordinary story of the Danish Agriculture Minister who blew the whistle on his own uncooperative veterinarians and exposed excessive antibiotic use with names, addresses, a league table and even an interactive map identifying the farms.
The exposure may have caused fury in Denmark, but it worked.
A lot less antibiotics are being used in Danish pigs.
Embarrassment and public exposure worked to curb an over privileged dangerous drug pushing veterinary industry.
We could do with such an unconventional Minister in Britain, and elsewhere. He got things done and deserves the praise.
The industry who complained bitterly about his unorthodox exposure, now rush to associate themselves with a success story, even arranging for it to be "leaked" into the English language media.
You can read the hilarious original story here
Now we get the latest instalment - mechanical translation - link to publisher
Antibiotics curve is broken
10. November 2010
Completely new figures showing that consumption of antibiotics in swine production has fallen sharply in the third quarter. Yellow-card system works so smoothly, think pig industry.
The latest figures from Vetstat of antibiotic consumption in Danish pig shows that consumption has dropped markedly in the third quarter. From 26,820 kg active substance in the second quarter of 2010 to 23,681 kilograms in the third quarter, which means a decrease in the entire 11.7 percent.
If you compare with same period last year fell just as sharply, from 25,490 kg active substance in the third quarter of 2009 to 23,681 in 2010.
- The figures confirm a feeling that we have had for some time, namely that consumption of pig barns are falling. So we are very satisfied and it is great that farmers and veterinarians have taken the job on him and snapped antibiotics curve, says Nicolaj Nørgaard, Director of Information Centre for Pig Production, Food & Agriculture.
According to the director, the new data that food minister yellow card scheme, which focuses on the farms with the highest consumption of antibiotics, which entered into force 1 July 2010, already seems to be working.
- We have the entire process with the minister's yellow card scheme backed the scheme and on the target antibioitikaforbruget in pig production to be lowered. For me there is no doubt that we can now see that the system works as intended, says Nicolaj Nørgaard.
He stresses, however, the importance of that sick animals should be treated correctly.
