Abstract

The prudent use of antimicrobials (AMs) should be widened in pig farming to reduce the risk of AM resistance (AMR) in human and veterinary medicine. It is therefore important to understand pig farmers' motivators and the barriers to AM usage (AMU) on their farms. The authors investigated pig farmers' self-estimated levels of AMU, their perceived benefits and risks and the need for AMs in a cross-sectional survey in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. The authors also compared these perceptions between the four countries and related them to pig farmers' actual AMU. The results showed that farmers who used more AMs also estimated their own usage as higher. Farmers perceived many benefits but relatively few risks of AMU in pig farming. Some significant cross-country differences in farmers' perceptions were found, but they were relatively small. After controlling for country differences and farm differences, only perceived risks had a significant association with AMU. The authors therefore conclude that in order to promote prudent AMU, it seems most promising to focus on the structural differences in pig farming and veterinary medicine (e.g. legislation, role of the veterinarian) among countries. In addition, interventions which aim at reducing AMU should increase farmers' awareness of the risks of extensive AMU.

Published in

Veterinary Record
2016, Volume: 179, number: 19, article number: 490
Publisher: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP

SLU Authors

• Backhans, Annette

  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Emanuelson, Ulf

  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

AMR: Bacteria


UKÄ Subject classification

Medical Bioscience
Animal and Dairy Science
Clinical Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103844

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/79440