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The Belgian health authorities have published the fifth BelVet-Sac report on the surveillance of the consumption of veterinary antibiotics. Since year 2009, the use of antibiotics in animals is supervised, and this report is published annually.
The total consumption of veterinary antibiotics (in farm animals and pets), expressed in tonnes of active ingredients, dropped by 6.6% between 2012 and 2013 (277,850.3 kg in 2012 and 266,215.4 kg in 2013). This shows a net fall for the second consecutive year. The total biomass produced in Belgium in 2013 was slightly lower than in 2012 (-0.3%). This drop expressed in absolute terms translates itself in a fall by 6.3% if the consumption is expressed in terms of mg of active ingredient per kg of biomass produced. During the last two years, a total drop by 10.5% has been reached.
In contrast with the previous year, the use of 'critical' antibiotics for human medicine, such as fluoroquinolones, has also dropped significantly (-17.4%). In the case of macrolides, a downward tendency has also been detected. The use of new generation cephalosporins has stabilised.
Thursday June 26, 2014/ AFMPS/ Belgium.
http://www.fagg-afmps.be/
