The use of medicated feeds to treat farm animals must be better harmonised across the EU says the European Parliament (EP) agriculture committee, whose members have demanded new draft European legislation to be produced on the subject within one year.
Committee MEPs voted by 40 to 3 this week in favour of the harmonisation and updating of EU rules on medicated feed dating back to 1990, supporting a report tabled by Spanish MEP and committee vice-chair, Clara Eugenia Aguilera Garcia (pictured above).
“To ensure an efficient fight against antimicrobial resistance, MEPs want to extend new rules on medicated feed (prepared by feed mills or professionals) to all animal medicines administered orally, whether via feed or drinking water,” declared a committee statement. “This includes so-called ‘top dressing’ (prepared by farmers).
“MEPs also called on the European Commission (EC) to table a legislative proposal to this end within one year.”
MEPs will now enter into talks with the council of EU ministers and the EC on the final wording of their desired regulation.