Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. July 2025
    2. June 2025
    3. 2025 Innovation supplement
    4. May 2025
    5. April 2025
    6. March 2025
    7. 2025 Buildings supplement
    8. February 2025
    9. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    10. January 2025
    11. December 2024
    12. November 2024
    13. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    14. October 2024
    15. September 2024
    16. August 2024
    17. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    18. July 2024
    19. June 2024
    20. 2024 Innovation supplement
    21. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    22. May 2024
    23. April 2024
    24. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    25. March 2024
    26. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    27. February 2024
    28. January 2024
    29. December 2023
    30. November 2023
    31. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    32. October 2023
    33. September 2023
    34. Health Supplement
    Featured

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025
    Recent

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025

    June 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    June 4, 2025

    2025 Innovation supplement now available

    June 4, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Antibiotics

FSA publishes results of survey into AMR levels in pork mince

Alistair DriverBy Alistair DriverSeptember 5, 20184 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today published the findings of a major survey commissioned to fill in the gaps in the data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence in food on UK supermarket shelves.

This was in response to the FSA’s own systematic review of AMR in the food chain

The survey was based on 339 samples of raw chicken (whole or portions) and 342 samples of raw pork mince collected from retailers in September and October 2017.

It involved the testing of Campylobacter in chicken samples and Salmonella in pork mince samples for the occurrence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. It also looked for AMR in other commensal (non-pathogenic) bacteria in both types of meat including Enterococci, Klebsiella and Escherichia coli.

You can read the final report of the survey here.

Key findings included:

  • Salmonella was detected in only 5/342 (1.5%) pork mince samples and none of the isolates displayed resistance to any of the highest-priority critically important antibiotics for human medicine
  • ESBL-producing E.coli bacteria were detected in 16/342 (4.7%) of pork mince samples.
  • Although Klebsiella was detected in 37% of pork mince samples, rates of resistance in the isolated bacteria were low.

The FSA said the data generated would help to establish a baseline of the occurrence, types and levels of AMR in bacteria found in these UK retail meats which will inform future surveillance on AMR in these foods.

“Antimicrobial resistance was detected in a proportion of all the types of bacteria examined, ,” the report concluded.

“However, the risk of acquiring AMR from these foods is very low provided that they are cooked and handled hygienically. Due to the strategy of sampling in relation to market share, there were insufficient samples from non-UK countries to allow statistical analysis of differences between UK and non-UK produced meat. However, this may be a focus for a future study.”

Steve Wearne, director of food policy at the FSA said: “The emergence and spread of AMR poses a significant global threat both in terms of public health and economic impact and we are determined to play our part in addressing this threat.

He welcomed the steps the industry is taking on antibiotic stewardship, including the halving of antibiotic use in UK pigs between 2015 and 2017.

Minimising use

NPA senior policy adviser Georgina Crayford welcomed FSA’s commitment to improving surveillance of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in food.

“The UK pig industry has been working extremely hard to minimise its use of antibiotics, to limit the development of AMR,” she said. “The results from this survey provide an additional level of detail that will complement the growing amount of data surrounding antibiotic use and presence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in the pork supply chain.

“The information will help to inform decisions by pig producers and their vets around managing pig health and will drive continued action towards greater stewardship of antibiotics.”

“The pig sector will be reassured by FSA’s conclusion that the risk to consumers posed by resistant bacteria in pork is very low provided it is cooked and handled hygienically, which has always been the advice.

“While reductions in antibiotic use on farm may not result directly in reduced prevalence of resistant bacteria in food, pig producers will nonetheless continue to work with their vets to improve antibiotic stewardship to ensure the risk to public health is kept to a minimum.”

RUMA chair Gwyn Jones said: “Our focus is on reducing, refining or replacing antibiotic use; while some livestock sectors have already achieved extraordinary results, there is definitely more to do in others.

“We believe the FSA’s new research will add to the bank of knowledge and help identify additional interventions that reduce any anti microbial resistant bacteria in food, while safeguarding our continued access to antibiotics that treat disease and prevent pain or suffering in animals.”

 

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleAdvertising watchdog bans ‘misleading’ Viva! cinema advert
Next Article The effects of the hot summer will be long-lasting, thankfully they only come around every 40 years or so
Alistair Driver

Editor Pig World, group editor Agronomist and Arable Farmer and Farm Contractor. National Pig Association webmaster. Former political editor at Farmers Guardian. Occasional media pundit. Brought up on a Leicestershire farm. Works from a shed in his Oxfordshire garden.

Read Similar Stories

GB pig prices for week ending July 5, 2025 – SPP bounces back to reach year high

July 9, 2025

Nutrient Action Programme could destroy NI pig sector, UFU warns

July 9, 2025

Straw prices for the week ending July 13, 2025

July 9, 2025
Latest News

GB pig prices for week ending July 5, 2025 – SPP bounces back to reach year high

July 9, 2025

Nutrient Action Programme could destroy NI pig sector, UFU warns

July 9, 2025

Comment: British pork reimagined: Data-led marketing for a changing consumer

July 9, 2025
Sponsored Content

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024

Tackle the root cause of PWD with free diagnostic tests

March 1, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1759 North Yorkshire

    • North Yorkshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1758 Norfolk

    • Norfolk
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Experienced Pig Stockperson – Ref 1757 South East England

    • South East England
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.