British Science Week 2024 wrapped up on Sunday, and we wanted to end the week talking about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and highlight the Antibiotic Guardian Schools Ambassador programme; a fantastic initiative which brings healthcare professionals into the classroom to encourage children to become antibiotic aware.
Recently, the VMD worked alongside veterinary colleagues and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to expand the programme to include messaging on antibiotics used in animals, to make it a truly One Heath initiative.
What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microbes, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi, change over time and no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines designed to kill them or stop their growth. These resistant microbes can spread and may infect people or animals. This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, this can also be referred to as antibiotic resistance.
While antibiotic resistance is a natural process that happens over time, its emergence and spread across the world is accelerated by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in humans, animals, and plants.
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest global health problems of our time and is the third leading underlying cause of death globally.
What is the Antibiotic Guardian Schools Ambassador programme
This programme was set up to educate young people on important public health topics; microbes, hygiene, infection prevention and antibiotics.
The scheme provides resources for any healthcare professionals who want to volunteer to deliver an education session to a school class, run an activity, or include a newsletter item on antimicrobial resistance at their local school.
Educating children is not only a brilliant way to ensure our future generations are engaged on important public health issues but children are also great disseminators of knowledge; taking important messages back to their families and friends.
Everyone has a role to play in tackling antimicrobial resistance by practicing good hand hygiene to reduce infection spread, only taking antibiotics when needed, and using them as prescribed.
Dr Diane Ashiru-Oredope from UKHSA has been at the centre of AMR awareness in the UK for over ten years now and pioneered the Antibiotic Guardian campaign and the offshoot school’s ambassador programme. Diane provided her thoughts on the evolution of the ambassador programme:
“The AG schools ambassador aims to support scientists, public health, healthcare and veterinary professionals in engaging and delivering teaching sessions (based on ) for young people through schools and community groups on important public health topics. We were delighted to collaborate with VMD and Fergus Allerton (Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service) in 2023 to expand the toolkit to include a dedicated One Health resource that all ambassadors can use. The campaign has been a huge success so far, with more than three quarters reporting that participating as an Antibiotic Guardian ambassador helps them both personally and professionally.”
Making the programme One Health
Antimicrobial resistance is a One Health issue that requires a coordinated approach across humans, animals, and the environment.
Just as antibiotics are used in people, they are also needed to fight infections in animals. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) recently reported that 90% of vets are concerned about losing the ability to treat infections in animals as a result of AMR, but only 35% of vets felt that clients were aware of AMR. In this BVA article they issued some top tips to help pet owners be antibiotic aware and have an active role in responsible antibiotic use.
Fergus Allerton from Willows spearheaded veterinary involvement in the AG Schools Ambassador programme. He created a suite of assets with support from VMD’s AMR team for volunteer ambassadors to use in schools, including ideas such as a using glitter to show how microbes can spread through hands and teaching children about the importance of hand hygiene.
We asked Fergus about his experience of going to schools and why the AG Ambassador programme is such an important scheme:
“One of the key steps in the battle against AMR is raising public awareness. What better place to start than by engaging with future generations who can help ensure a One Health approach to antimicrobial stewardship is pursued. The School ambassador program is fun and helps spread this vital message. I would encourage vets and vet nurses to get involved - #bestaudienceever!”
You can get involved
Help us spread the message about antimicrobial resistance and how we all have a role to ensure antibiotics are used responsibly, in people and animals. If you are a vet or vet nurse and would like to be a volunteer for our pilot AMR ambassador programme, please register on the Antibiotic Guardian website.
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During summer 2023, we were delighted to host a one-week study placement for veterinary students at our offices in Surrey. This was the third year we had offered this popular training opportunity.
Students participated in a wide-ranging programme of presentations and workshops, showcasing the breadth of the VMD’s activities. Topics featured included:
Students joined the course from universities across the UK and had the opportunity to share ideas and experiences during workshops and group sessions.
There was a focus on making the course relevant to new graduates in clinical practice, with feedback received that “It was useful to use scenarios seen in the workplace that we might actually encounter. Nowadays when I see an SPC, I think quite fondly of it.”
One student reported that “The week at the VMD has been full of interesting and helpful discussions with vets in unique positions. I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to hear about their work first-hand, and having other students there brought up great questions.”
“I came away from the placement feeling incredibly inspired - not only by the diversity of openings and directions within the civil service, but also through my engagement with the many individuals who talked about their dynamic experience across many aspects of industry, research and practice.”
We are thrilled to host the Student EMS placement again from 8 to 12 July in Addlestone, Surrey. We are inviting veterinary students who are in their final two years of study to attend our one-week placement.
For more information and how to apply see our news item on GOVUK .
Please send your completed application forms to ems@vmd.gov.uk.
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Over the last couple months, our AMR team has been meeting international colleagues to discuss and showcase ways of tackling AMR globally.
The team showcased the UK’s progress in reducing antibiotic sales for food-producing animals by 59% and learnt of challenges and success stories around the world. Here we highlight some of the recent international work.
AMR has no respect of borders and even though the UK is at the forefront of this global issue, we are only as strong as our weakest link. This is why engaging with our global partners is essential in our commitment to reducing AMR, and the VMD is achieving this through many different collaboratives, such as:
This presented an opportunity to learn and discuss optimal practices in the veterinary domain to protect human health care from antimicrobial resistance. It also provided a valuable opportunity to foster international connections with academic and governmental colleagues. A series of small group breakout sessions tackled complex issues from the role of wildlife as a possible AMR transmission route to the use of artificial intelligence, and other digital tools, to improve animal health and welfare.
We are contributing to the review paper to capture the outcomes of these sessions which will be published in an open-source journal.
VMD representatives attended the conference to engage with the wider sector and highlight the importance of including responsible use of medicines in the sustainable livestock narrative. The conference was used as an opportunity to launch the One Health/AMR Group of Friends co-chaired by Kenya and the UK, which is a collection of member state representatives working together to find solutions to the global threat of AMR.
The VMD presented alongside UK industry stakeholders on the antimicrobial use (AMU) data collection platform developed for ruminants. We explored the opportunities and challenges of AMU data digitisation across and between different countries. The workshop brought together a UK contingent of farmers, vets and government experts as well as researchers to better understand the benefits of digitisation, use and sharing of data for different stakeholders.
VMD represented the UK in a 3-day World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) workshop for the European and Central Asian region. We had the opportunity to contribute UK data to the new, globally accessible antimicrobial use database. There were over 50 countries in the room from across Europe and Central Asia and was a great place to facilitate discussions about the importance of AMU data transparency, different countries’ animal health systems and learn from our international counterparts.
Alongside human health colleagues, the VMD team attended this meeting in Luxembourg, bringing together technical experts from both sides of the Atlantic; including UK, Canada, USA, EU, and Norway, to address the threat of AMR. The VMD’s Head of Usage and Stakeholder Engagement, Fraser Broadfoot, chaired a panel on appropriate antimicrobial use in human and veterinary medicine and presented the UK’s latest results from the Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance 2022 report.
The FAO hosted the inaugural plenary meeting for the Quadripartite AMR Partnership Platform. The platform is a global initiative to bring stakeholders together from across One Health sectors to drive change and implement action to reduce AMR.
Over 150 people from the private sector, governments, research, civil society and funding institutions were in attendance. The UK had the honour of Christine Middlemiss, Chief Veterinary Officer, being appointed onto the Platform Steering Committee as the representative for all the national governments which is a great opportunity for UK leadership in this international forum.
]]>On 1 November we published the UK-Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Sales and Surveillance (UK-VARSS) 2022 report, which shows that the UK has reduced it’s antibiotic sales in food-producing animals by 59% since 2014.
Behind these impressive results is the success story of the UK’s voluntary and collaborative approach to antibiotic stewardship in the veterinary and farming sectors. This is showcased in the joint report by the FAO and VMD – Tackling antimicrobial use and resistance in food-producing animals.
The goal has been to reduce the need for and avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics to slow the development of AMR, whilst maintaining the UK’s high animal health and welfare standards. In some cases, changes to farm infrastructure and management practices are needed to prevent and eliminate infectious disease to reduce the need for antibiotics.
Here we explore how Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway team is helping to support farmers in making these changes to achieve step-wise and sustainable reductions in antibiotic use.
The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway is an initiative that supports continual improvement in farm animal health and welfare. Developed in partnership with farmers, vets, academics and other experts it includes a programme of financial support for keepers of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry to continually improve animal health and welfare.
Defra launched the first step on the Pathway in January 2023; Annual Health and Welfare Review. This made funding available to eligible keepers of cattle, pigs and sheep for a visit by a vet-led team to carry out a yearly on-farm review of animal health and welfare. This includes carrying out diagnostic testing, reviewing biosecurity and the use of medicines including antibiotics, as well as bespoke advice on actions to improve health and welfare.
In spring 2023, keepers were able to apply for animal health and welfare equipment and technology grants of between £1000 and £25,000. Over £19 million in grants were awarded to more than 3,300 pig, cattle, poultry and sheep farmers with the aim to improve the health and welfare of livestock.
The items on this list were selected through close work with farmers, academics, and industry groups and will help all livestock keepers to make changes which target the Pathway’s health and welfare priorities agreed for each sector. These priorities include reducing sow confinement during farrowing and reducing stressors.
Alongside this Defra also offered the first animal health and welfare infrastructure grant; the Calf Housing For Health and Welfare Grant. This offered farmers the opportunity to receive co-funding of between £15,000 and £500,000 for the cost of building and refurbishing calf housing.
Using stakeholders’ skills and expertise, Defra are developing three programmes that will provide financial support to address key endemic diseases and conditions.
Building on the initial advice given in the Annual Health and Welfare Review, these programmes will focus on:
Defra is aiming to launch all three programmes early in 2024 and are currently working on developing delivery solutions for the programmes.
These programmes will allow us to deliver further public benefits. We will encourage efficient, effective, and sustainable use of resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We will promote responsible use of medicines, limiting the spread of antimicrobial resistance and its threat to public health.
A further round of the animal health and welfare equipment and technology grant is also being developed. Defra also intends to introduce further infrastructure grant offers for keepers of adult cattle, pig and poultry housing.
Increased use of antimicrobials risks reducing the effectiveness of medicines for both animal and human use.
By reducing endemic disease, we can reduce the need to use antibiotics. The livestock industry is already working towards more effective use of antibiotics:
In delivering funding to farmers the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway will support several cross-government strategies including the UK’s 5-Year national action plan for antimicrobial resistance. In addition, we plan to strengthen delivery of the regulatory baseline by improving compliance with our current high standards. Where it is appropriate to raise the bar, we will do this in consultation with all relevant sectors and provide sufficient notice of changes so that farmers can plan properly.
The Pathway offer is for England only and whilst animal health is a devolved matter, we will seek ways to work across borders where there are shared interests.
By improving animal health, we will also contribute to wider UK government commitments on reduced endemic disease and enhanced biosecurity, as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan
]]>The Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and Environment (PATH-SAFE) programme uses the latest DNA-sequencing technology and environmental sampling to improve the detection and tracking of foodborne disease and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The programme which is being led by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), was launched in 2021. As well as the VMD, it gave departments across government, including;
the opportunity to explore and investigate new areas of AMR surveillance along the agri-food chain.
Within the PATH-SAFE programme, we have looked to address commitments within the UK National Action Plan for AMR (2019-2024) including;
In the UK, through the harmonised monitoring programme, we conduct routine AMR surveillance in in two key livestock species, healthy pigs and poultry. The results from this are published yearly in the UK Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Sales and Surveillance (VARSS) report.
PATH-SAFE has provided the opportunity to bolster this surveillance through four AMR pilot surveillance projects which will help address key surveillance gaps, including generating baseline data for AMR in ruminants.
Read more about these four projects that the VMD’s AMR surveillance and evidence team kicked off in 2022:
This project is investigating bulk milk as a novel tool for AMR surveillance in dairy cattle. It will test milk samples collected by the National Milk Laboratories (NML) to find out what AMR genes and AMR bacteria are present in bulk milk across GB.
This project is a great example of using the UK’s existing sample collecting infrastructure to expand AMR surveillance.
Currently, there is no routine surveillance of AMR bacteria in healthy ruminants. This survey will address this evidence gap by piloting AMR surveillance of bulk milk as an indicator of AMR levels in dairy cattle.
National Milk Laboratories (NML) and APHA
This project looks at AMR levels in healthy sheep at slaughter in England and Wales. Additionally, this project will pilot methodology for both environmental and wastewater sampling in abattoirs.
The last time there was a national survey of disease risk in healthy sheep in abattoirs was almost 20 years ago and therefore, existing data may not represent the current situation.
This survey will establish a new baseline of bacterial and AMR prevalence in healthy sheep at slaughter.
APHA, FSA, Defra, Cefas and sheep abattoirs across the UK.
This project assesses the potential AMR risks associated with both domestic and imported feed ingredients and finished feed.
This will contribute to informing risk-based decisions about surveillance and control measures, which are essential for facilitating good biosecurity measures in the UK.
Currently, there is no programme for monitoring AMR in domestic or imported animal feed ingredients in the UK.
Through this work we hope to generate a better understanding of the AMR load in imported feed ingredients.
Agriculture Industries Confederation (AIC) and APHA.
This project will establish the prevalence of AMR in bacteria in healthy beef cattle.
Surveillance is being carried out in some of the key bacterial species, present in humans and animals, that are monitored in other surveillance programmes, allowing comparability of results.
Cattle farming represents a significant sector within agriculture in the UK, with the UK being the third highest producer of beef in Europe in 2019.
However, there is no UK-wide programme for monitoring AMR in healthy cattle which makes it difficult to assess the risk of transmission across the agri-food chain.
SRUC, FSS, AFBI and FSA
AMR surveillance is crucial for understanding the development and spread of AMR across animals, humans, food and the environment.
This helps us evaluate the risks to consumers, identify trends, and assess the impact of interventions aimed at slowing the spread of AMR.
The work done under the PATH-SAFE programme makes significant steps forward towards One Health Integrated Surveillance and the results from this programme will help inform and develop the new 5 year National Action Plan (2024-2029), due to be published next year.
Find out more about the PATH-SAFE programme and other research activities that are happening read the FSA blog.
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Manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers cannot promote or advertise products imported under the Special Import Scheme. Jackie Catterall, Regional Managing Inspector (Northern Region) and Stacey Brown, Head of Supply Team, explain why.
These products do not hold a UK marketing authorisation, so they are classified as unauthorised medicines even though you have been granted permission to import and supply them in line with a valid certificate from us.
They may only be supplied against a veterinary prescription, which means that under Regulation 11 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR), a supplier cannot advertise or promote this type of product.
We have defined ‘advertising’ in our guidance, Advertise veterinary medicines legally, as any activity that is aimed or designed to promote the sale, supply or use of a veterinary medicine, whether for profit or not. This includes electronic advertising such as website banners and emails.
Manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers cannot advertise unauthorised veterinary medicines, either in writing or verbally. This includes use of:
Types of promotional material considered to be advertising includes:
If you were to advertise these products, we would consider that to be a breach of the VMR and take appropriate action in accordance with our enforcement policy.
The Special Import Scheme is an important tool to help ensure that vets can access the medicines they need to treat animals under their care when there is no authorised alternative product available.
The Scheme ensures that certificates are only issued in response to an exceptional clinical need where we have assessed that the product is required to protect animal health and welfare.
Do not abuse this system and put animals at unnecessary risk.
For more information on the Special Import Scheme see Import a medicine for veterinary use into the UK and for information on advertising those products, see Advertise veterinary medicines legally.
For latest information on supply issues of UK authorised veterinary medicines where no alternative product is known see Known supply problems with animal medicines
If you have specific questions on how this guidance applies to your products, email postmaster@vmd.gov.uk
Lee Grist, Head of Distribution and Supply, and James Garrity from our Legislation Office explain what manufacturers can and can’t do when advertising and labelling extemporaneous preparations (also known as ‘specials’) manufactured for use under the cascade.
Extemporaneous preparations are not authorised veterinary medicines and can only be manufactured and supplied in response to a prescription issued by a vet under the cascade.
Therefore, under Regulation 11 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR), a manufacturer cannot advertise or promote this type of product.
Manufacturers cannot advertise active ingredients, strengths or sizes, or specific diseases or conditions in any promotional material, including verbal, for their extemporaneous products.
We have defined ‘advertising’ in our guidance as any activity that is aimed or designed to promote the sale, supply or use of a veterinary medicine, whether for profit or not. This includes electronic advertising, for example website banners and emails.
Types of promotional adverts include:
A manufacturer can provide price lists to a vet if they request one, and vets can sign up to receiving regular price list updates.
These specifically requested price lists can include all active substances, formulations, and prices of all the products available from the manufacturer but may not include photos or additional information such as dosage instructions or indications for use.
Price lists must be comprehensive, unbiased, and not highlight or give additional prominence to any product, such as marking any as “Newly available”.
Providing a list that only includes a selection of products, or highlighting any products in any way, is considered advertising and therefore a breach of the VMR.
Extemporaneous preparations must be labelled by the manufacturer with only the necessary information as listed under Schedule 2, paragraph 26:
Instructions for use should be limited to the route of administration, for example ‘for intramuscular use’.
Any other specific information for use should be added by the prescribing vet at the time of supply.
Including any other information on the label, such as a brand name, is considered to be promoting an unauthorised veterinary medicine and a breach of the VMR.
For more information on manufacturing an extemporaneous preparation see Specific Manufacturing Authorisations and for information on advertising those products, see Advertise veterinary medicines legally.
If you have specific questions on how this guidance applies to your products, email postmaster@vmd.gov.uk
Kimberly Homer-Theodore, one of our enforcement officers, talks about a recent case involving the seizure of a substantial quantity of veterinary medicines destined for export.
A great result when we stopped the illegal export of over 6,700 veterinary medicines destined for the USA.
Early one morning in June the latest crackdown effort of ‘Operation Lascar-Ancord’ was underway.
Operation Lascar-Ancord is an operation run by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and UK Border Force, in conjunction with several other agencies, aimed at combatting the supply and importation of unauthorised medicinal products to the USA. These can include counterfeit products, fake medical devices and unauthorised veterinary medicines – and as the UK’s enforcement authority for veterinary medicines, that’s where we come in.
At Heathrow’s Worldwide Distribution Centre, Border Force, acting on intelligence from the FDA, quarantined suspect packages. We were expecting a large number of parcels, however, even we were not quite anticipating what was waiting for us –thousands of boxes and jiffy bags.
These parcels were destined for New York, Florida, California, Hawaii - every US state you could think of.
Over 3 days the team opened the detained parcels. We ended up seizing over 2,500 parcels containing veterinary medicines.
Back at the VMD office is where our work really began. For a further 3 days we unpacked each parcel, organising, and counting each product by brand and country of origin.
Included in the haul were a variety of flea and wormer treatments for companion animals, such as Seresto, Hart Gard, Frontline, and Bravecto, which were manufactured in South Africa, Australia, and the UK with an estimated retail value of around £200,000.
Veterinary medicines must have the correct authorisations to be legitimately supplied and marketed in a particular country.
Regulation 31 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (VMR) states:
“No person may export a veterinary medicinal product for use in another country unless the veterinary medicinal product may be lawfully supplied or administered in that country.”
So far we have identified 12 websites worldwide involved in these consignments.
We work with many enforcement authorities at home and abroad sharing intelligence and investigating illegal activities, which can result in prosecution of anyone carrying out illegal activities in the UK. We also have other tools including serving enforcement notices, seizing evidence and issuing police cautions. Find out more about these on VMD Connect.
Overall, this was a hugely successful operation. However, we must acknowledge that this is not a victimless crime. The financial loss to consumers who unwittingly bought these products may be thousands of pounds.
Whilst it might be tempting to buy cheaper veterinary medicines from abroad, is it worth the risk? Products such as these may not just be unauthorised but also counterfeit and dangerous for your pets.
You can report suspected illegal activity to us, anonymously if you prefer, through our online reporting form or our hotline 01932 338338.
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As Head of the Distribution and Supply Chain at the VMD, I know that veterinary medicines, or products which purport to be veterinary medicines, are advertised and /or offered for sale at trade shows. This is fine as long as the exhibitors selling or advertising these products comply with the requirements of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR).
As a team, we often go along to trade shows and events to provide advice and information about our work. As you might expect, we see a wide variety of products being advertised or for sale, and for the most part everything is in order and in compliance with the regulations, but we do sometimes come across a breach and have to act accordingly.
You may have seen representatives from our Inspections and Enforcement Division at the recent AHDA Conference chatting to delegates there, or at the London Vet Show, where we delivered two Inspection workshops. However, whilst we were there, we also instructed a company to remove advertising material from their stand for a product which didn’t have a marketing authorisation.
We were also at the Blackpool Pigeon Show where we seized unauthorised medicines offered on sale.
Some of these issues are caused through ignorance rather than made deliberately, and the offending exhibitor is unaware that they are in breach of the regulations. Unfortunately, ignorance is no defence, and a breach however unintentional is still a breach, so it’s important to know what you can and can’t do.
If you wish to supply veterinary medicines classified as POM-V, POM-VPS or NFA-VPS, then you must be authorised to do so, and any sale must be from an approved premises.
A trade stand can be registered as a veterinary practice premises, SQP retailer premises or a pharmacy at a trade show for this purpose. This must be done before you can supply any veterinary medicines from there. The stand must be within a permanent building, such as an exhibition hall, with a specific address, and you must meet the relevant storage requirements for the medicines you propose supplying.
These are products for animals that are kept exclusively as pets and are not intended to produce food for human consumption.
If you wish to supply products that are marketed in the UK under Schedule 6 of the VMR (Exemptions for small pet animals) then you don’t need to have an approved or registered stand. But you must only supply medicines in accordance with this Schedule.
This means there are limits on which products can be supplied (for example no antibiotics), for which species (including homing pigeons and caged birds), and the quantities allowed in one pot/container. Further information on small animal exemption products is available on our website.
Small animal exemption products must also be labelled in accordance with the scheme (the product label must include a statement to that effect).
Information on what makes a product a veterinary medicine, including medicinal words and phrases, can also be found on our Legal Controls on Veterinary Medicines page.
We want to make sure that everyone is following the rules so that people are getting appropriate products and information relating to veterinary medicines whenever they visit any show.
It’s vital that exhibitors check and follow the guidance before they arrive at a show so that they can be sure that their stand and associated materials comply with the regulations. You can always check with us if you are unsure. I’d much rather that you get it right before me or one of my team, has to intervene!
If not, then we will act, which could have a significant impact to you if you are suddenly not able to trade as you had planned. My colleagues and I have the power to confiscate products or evidence in line with our enforcement policy if we believe that you have committed a breach of the VMR.
Further guidance on how to comply with the VMR can be found on GOV.UK:
Team contact details are given within relevant guidance, so if after reading them you are unsure whether you comply with the VMR please contact us for advice. Alternatively, you can always reach us at postmaster@vmd.gov.uk.
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According to the vet charity for pets, The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals around 52% of UK adults own a pet, with an estimated population of 10.2 million dogs and 11 million cats. 3.2 million of these pets are ’lockdown pets’ that is, acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pets play an integral part in everyday life and share our living spaces. That can mean the sharing or transfer of bacteria too! Numerous studies have shown that bacteria, including antimicrobial resistant bacteria, can spread between pets and their owners. Despite this, until recently there has been limited focus on the use of antibiotics in companion animals, compared to the significant amount of work conducted to reduce use in humans and livestock.
A coordinated, cross- sectoral approach in the UK has led to a reduction of antibiotic use in food producing animals by 55% between 2014 and 2021, including an 83% reduction in the use highest priority critically important antibiotics for human medicine.
Coordinated by RUMA, this reduction was achieved using a collaborative, voluntary approach, working with vets and livestock professionals to change their behaviours around antibiotic prescribing, embed best practice and set realistic antibiotic reduction targets.
The voluntary approach taken in the livestock sector has helped to build a sense of ownership, accountability and responsibility for the AMR issue, and this approach is now being taken within the companion animal and equine sectors.
To help achieve this, the VMD is working with the newly formed RUMA Companion Animal and Equine Alliance, who are applying lessons learned from the livestock sector and working with the industry to agree on priorities for reducing antibiotic use and setting targets in the companion animal sectors.
In addition, the VMD is also working with RCVS Knowledge to provide free online continuing professional development on Antimicrobial Stewardship for companion animal and equine vet practices. They are developing a tool to help small animal and equine practices benchmark their antibiotic use in a scheme called VetTeamAMR. Also part of VetTeamAMR is the existing RCVS Knowledge Farm Vet Champions project. This provides farm vets with free CPD on AMS as well as access to a SMART goals tool, to help them improve their antimicrobial use.
We believe that these initiatives will help veterinary practices understand and monitor how antibiotics are being used and ensure that they are only used appropriately, which will help reduce the development of AMR and subsequently preserve the efficacy of antibiotics when they are needed for both pets and their owners.
During the month of November which coincides with World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (18-24 November), veterinary practices in the UK took part in an 'Antibiotic Amnesty', to encourage their clients to return unused and out of date antibiotics to their local veterinary practice, who can then dispose of them safely. Pet owners can continue to play their part in using antibiotics responsibly and return any unused or out of date antibiotics beyond the amnesty.
Studies have shown that leftover antibiotics are rarely returned to pharmacies and vets and are often disposed of in household waste and flushed down the toilet. These antibiotics can then enter rivers and cause damage to the environment, impacting water quality and wildlife.
The RUMA Companion Animal & Equine Alliance (RUMA CA&E) is conducting a survey for clients to learn more about the reasons behind leftover antibiotic medications.
Read more about sales of veterinary antibiotics in pets in the VMD’s recently published UK-VARSS 2021 report.