APHA is carrying out a study to determine the persistence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria on pig and cattle farms using low quantities of antimicrobials – and is seeking producers to participate.
It said substantial progress has been made by British farmers in reducing antibiotic use in livestock production in recent years. However, research findings suggest that antimicrobial resistant bacteria can persist on livestock premises even after the use of antibiotics has been reduced.
“For farmers to fully benefit from their hard work in reducing usage, we would like your participation in a study of which factors affect the persistence of these resistant bacteria in the environment,” the agency said.
“This work will explore the length of time that resistance to different antimicrobials remains on farm even after usage is reduced.
“Additionally, the study will give insight into environmental persistence, which is possibly mitigating the significant efforts of the pig industry in reducing usage.”
The agency is looking for pig farms that have reduced their antimicrobial usage in the last two to three years to a low level (a yearly average below 10mg of active antimicrobial ingredient per
kg of pig) who would be interested in having a small number of samples taken from pig
pens, and the farm environment.
If you are interested or have any queries, please contact Chelsea Voller (Chelsea.Voller@apha.gov.uk, 07766657948).