Scotland’s livestock farmers have an opportunity to demonstrate best practice and responsible use of antibiotics, with an ongoing pilot project helping producers and vets identify, record and discuss responsible use on-farm.
The AMU (antimicrobial use) pilot in Scotland, which involves a range of industry bodies, is supporting 15 vet practices to produce individual AMU reports for their farming clients. Rather than changing established veterinary and farm practices, the project is providing clear, standardised information to support more transparent conversations about antibiotic use, with more farmers now being invited to take part.
Each farm receives an individual annual antimicrobial use report, generated from data collected by the vet for that business. Results are presented in a standardised way, with sheep and cattle enterprises separated out.
The project found lower-than-expected levels of AMU among the farms involved, and reports are already helping to identify animal health issues on farm. This is prompting discussions about how to tackle them, including looking at vaccination programmes.
Seb Batchelor is clinical director of Caledonia Farm Vets, in North East Scotland, one of the practices involved. “It’s a really good pilot to be involved in as I enjoy working with producers to improve production and their returns rather than firefighting problems.”
While many farmers are already vaccinating against key diseases, others may not be. The AMU report helps to identify potential recurring disease issues and prompts discussion, says Seb.
“We can talk with farmers about where there’s been higher use of a particular antimicrobial due to, say, a pneumonia outbreak and can then discuss investigative work such as nasal swab PCR testing before tailoring a vaccine protocol to what’s circulating in their stock. Investigation leads to informed decision making, rather than guess work.”
“Developing preventative strategies such as tailored vaccination helps to improve health and reduce antimicrobial use.”
Seb has been running the AMU report for clients for the past two years. As it compares annual use, it’s been useful for tracking how preventative strategies have worked. “It’s encouraging when we can see a year-on-year improvement and how implementing a vaccination protocol has reduced antimicrobial use while also improving the health of stock.”
For Inverness-shire suckler and sheep producer Hugh Fraser, who farms at Kinchyle, the annual AMU report has highlighted just how low use is on his farm, a common theme with Seb’s clients too.
Hugh runs a closed herd of 185 Limousin x Simmental cows, with offspring mainly sold as stores at 12-13 months. Progeny from his 650 Scotch Mule and Texel x Mule ewes, put to Texel tups, is sold finished. All stock is sold through Dingwall mart.
He says: “We don’t use any antimicrobials routinely. We aren’t buying-in stock from everywhere for finishing and don’t tend to do many caesareans, which can often put usage up. In the past, we did treat foot rot, but we started vaccinating a few years ago and it’s not a problem in our breeding sheep now, though we occasionally put our fattening lambs through the footbath.
“For me, having the AMU report is a no-brainer as the vet is doing the work for it. It’s useful to have the information collated and to look for any patterns with our vet as part of our annual health plan work.
“Wales has been producing these reports for a while, but I think Scottish agriculture has a very good story to tell on AMU use as it is low.”
Seb agrees, adding that with some lobbyists seeking a ban on antimicrobial use in animals, being able to prove responsible use is crucial. “The industry is doing a lot to reduce use, but we will never achieve zero use as animal welfare would be compromised. I think the AMU reporting and discussion is hugely valuable – the Scottish Government should get off the fence and adopt it in Scottish agriculture now.”
Bruce McConachie, Head of Industry Development at Quality Meat Scotland, who is involved in the project, says: “Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest challenges facing society, and livestock producers have an important role to play in showing that antibiotics are being used responsibly and only when needed.
“That’s why this Scottish AMU trial is so important. By capturing robust farm-level data, it gives producers and vets the evidence to demonstrate that responsible use is already embedded in farm practice, while helping to safeguard antimicrobials, protect welfare and manage costs.”
To get involved, contact Patricia Rojas Bonzi – patricia.rojas@saos.coop