While global concerns that the overuse of antibiotics contributes to drug resistance, sales for the use of antibiotics for use with livestock have increased in many parts of the world. This is carried out to boost meat production; however, the effects are medically and environmentally harmful.
The main risks from this practice are:
Risks to human health, in that some of the antibiotics used on farm animals could cause harm.
The use of antibiotics unnecessary promotes antibiotic resistance, including pathogenic strains which enter the community.
Farm workers can become exposed to antibiotic resistant bacteria and these can be taken by the farm workers home to the their families.
The rise in resistant strains has global health implications. According to the journal Microbiology & Infectious Diseases:”There are few public health issues of greater importance than antimicrobial resistance in terms of impact on society.”
To address the concerns relating to farm animals, the EMA consultation is seeking the views of citizens in European countries as to whether the medicines agency’s remit should be expanded so that it can restrict and control antibiotics used on farms.
The consultation is based around a draft paper “Guideline on the assessment of the risk to public health from antimicrobial resistance due to the use of an antimicrobial veterinary medicinal product in food producing animals.” The main focus of the paper is ” on the risk assessment part of the risk analysis process for antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products is aimed to provide a systematic approach to the evaluation of the associated scientific data and to improve the transparency and consistency of the regulatory decision making process.”
The outcome of the consultation will be interesting and the longer-term health and agricultural policies of the European Union will be shaped by the final conclusion. The consultation ends on August 31, 2015.
