Friday, 03 November 2023 07:55

Antibiotics sales drop

Written by  Staff Reporters
Sales of veterinary and horticultural antibiotics in New Zealand have decreased for a fifth year in a row. Sales of veterinary and horticultural antibiotics in New Zealand have decreased for a fifth year in a row.

Total sales of veterinary and horticultural antibiotics in New Zealand have decreased for a fifth year in a row, dropping by 23% in 2022.

The drop was a key finding of the ‘2022 Antibiotic Agricultural Compound Sales Analysis’ released last week by New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS). The report summarises the trends in the annual sales of veterinary and horticultural antibiotics as part of a national action plan to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

“The World Health Organisation has identified AMR as one of the top 10 global health threats facing humanity, so seeing a 23% drop in the sale of antibiotics for plants and animals is good news,” says NZFS deputy director- general Vincent Arbuckle.

“Antibiotics are antimicrobial medicines essential to the health of humans, animals, and plants, but using them excessively can lead to the emergence of resistant bacteria that don’t respond to antibiotic treatment.

“With AMR increasing around the world, and few new antibiotics being developed, careful use of the antibiotics we have will help to keep them effective.”

Of the 16 classes of antibiotics NZFS monitors, five are critically important for human health, meaning they should be considered the last line of defence in animal infections.

“We found that the total sales of antibiotics critical for human health decreased by 8% in 2022 to 6285kg. This is the lowest they’ve been since 2017, when 8952kg of antibiotics critically important to human health were sold,” says Arbuckle.

“Overall, the sale of antibiotics has dropped from 71,361kg in 2017 to 41,033kg in 2022. That’s a drop of 42%.

“The ongoing decrease in the use of antibiotics can be put down to a concerted effort from industry and NZFS to ensure these important medicines are used appropriately.

“The continued vigilance of veterinarians, farmers and other industry stakeholders, as well as our ongoing monitoring and support, are an effective way to minimise the incidence of AMR.

“We are also reviewing our regulatory oversight of antibiotics used in plants and animals, which could lead to a further reduction in antibiotic use as controls for some antibiotics might be tightened. This extensive piece of work has a five-year timeframe as it involves reviewing hundreds of antibiotic products.”

In 2017, the New Zealand Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan was jointly developed by the Ministry of Health, New Zealand Food Safety and representatives from across the human health, animal health and agriculture sectors.

Its vision is for New Zealand to manage antimicrobials as a valuable shared resource and to maintain their efficacy so they can be used to treat infections in humans, as well as to manage diseases in animals and plants. An update to the action plan is due to be released next year.

More like this

Farmer input needed to combat FE

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on livestock farmers to take part in a survey measuring the financial impact of facial eczema (FE).

The future of beef breeding

Progeny testing at Pāmu’s Kepler farm in Southland as part of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Informing New Zealand Beef programme is showing that the benefits of hybrid vigour could have a massive impact on the future of beef breeding.

Featured

Dairying deeply rooted in family

On the edge of the hot, dry Takapau plains, Norm and Del Atkins have cultivated a small but exceptional herd of 60 Holstein Friesian cows within their mixed breed herd of 360 dairy cows.

Mixed reaction to hiking levy rate

The DairyNZ board and management are currently trying to determine whether, and to what degree, their farmer levy payers will support any increase in their levy contributions.

National

Autumn drought challenge

After a dry summer, the challenge is what comes in autumn, according to Ballance Agri Nutrients science strategy manager Warwick…

Miraka CEO steps down

The chief executive of Taupo-based dairy company, Miraka – Karl Gradon - has stepped down from the role for personal…

Machinery & Products

Bigger but not numb

When you compare a RAM 1500 or Chevrolet Silverado to a Ford Ranger or a Toyota Hilux, you will understand…

Good just got great

Already well respected in the UTV sector for performance, reliability and a competitive price point, CFMOTO has upped the ante…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Dairy awards

OPINION: Results of regional New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) are trickling in but there's a worrying trend emerging.

Dock their pay

OPINION: It seems that the work rate of some parliamentarians is well below par.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter