Judicious Use of Antibiotics
Compliance with withdrawal periods in order to ensure that there are no antibiotic residues in pork is already a well-established practice among farmers. Antibiotic resistance is a cause for concern in both humans and animals, as it makes it more difficult to treat infections. Antibiotic resistance is one of the main threats to health and is clearly a global issue in both human and veterinary medicine. To combat antibiotic resistance, the judicious use of antibiotics is necessary.
The judicious use of antibiotics in pig production means reviewing our practices, in particular by favouring the least important antibiotics in human medicine, but also by reducing their use.
In this sense, some countries have set regulatory or voluntary reduction targets and have succeeded in reducing their antibiotic consumption. Since May 2017, the EQSP’s mandate has included issues associated with antibiotic use. In accordance with the strategic plan for the Quebec pork industry, the members of the EQSP have agreed to adopt a strategy on the judicious use of drugs.
The EQSP mandated the Advisory Committee on the Judicious Use of Drugs (CCUJM) of the Research Chair in Meat Safety at the Université de Montréal (composed of veterinarians, pharmacists and farmers) to look at what the pork industry could make in terms of commitments.
Concerned about this issue, Les Éleveurs de porc du Québec have implemented several actions to control antibiotic resistance in the Quebec pig herd:
- Improve on-farm biosecurity to keep herds healthy and minimize antibiotic use.
- Invest in research and development projects to identify alternatives to antibiotics (e.g., vaccines).
- Raise awareness and inform farmers by publishing informative articles and videos on the judicious use of antibiotics, in collaboration with Quebec veterinarians.
- Conduct surveys to assess the use of antibiotics in Quebec.
- Inform Quebec pork producers about current and future regulations and promote the tools developed by the MAPAQ.
- Implement new initiatives and follow up on existing initiatives through the creation of an Antibiotic Wise Use Committee.