Project

HealthyLivestock: Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance through improved livestock Health & Welfare

Modern livestock production systems often constrain natural animal behaviour and may result in health problems and product quality issues. Efforts to maximise production often involve overuse of anti-microbial drugs in farm animals either in veterinary treatment or for growth-promoting purposes. Drug residues may accumulate in animal products and the environment, leading to food quality issues, antimicrobial resistance and a risk for consumers. The EU and China both face this challenge, although not to the same extent. They have asked for this joint EU-Chinese proposal. The main objective of HealthyLivestock is to reduce the use of antimicrobials applied by the pig and broiler industry in China and Europe, and the subsequent residues in the food chain and the environment, by improving on-farm animal health & welfare without compromising productivity.

HealthyLivestock aims to reduce antimicrobial (AM) use by the pig and broiler industries in China and Europe, and consequent residues in meat and the environment, by improving animal health & welfare without compromising productivity.

Phase 1, combining efforts from 5 Chinese and 8 EU academic partners, will include novel scientific approaches in 4 interlinked strategies to reduce AM need.

  1. Biosecurity: reducing risk of pathogen presence within a farm through zoning-based Health & Welfare plans, including animal based indicators of success.
  2. Resilience: increasing ability of animals to cope with endemic diseases, through novel stress-reducing housing systems and probiotic improvement of gut health.
  3. Rapid detection: applying precision farming techniques to facilitate early detection, diagnosis and intervention of health & welfare problems.
  4. Precision medication: using pharmacokinetics to target AM to only individuals or groups in need.

Phase 2 will validate the technical innovations by establishing their societal acceptability and economic viability. It will also assess the relationships between the Health & Welfare plans, the level of pathogens on the farm and AM residues in product and manure.

In phase 3 the project’s industrial partners dedicate their network and expertise to knowledge exchange. The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe will lead dissemination of the scientific findings through Technical Notes. China’s only animal welfare standard setting organisation ICCAW, and Europe’s leading organisation GLOBALG.A.P., will strengthen their Quality Assurance schemes. Zoetis, the world’s largest veterinary pharmaceutical company, will develop and disseminate their pig and poultry advisory apps for global use. Finally, HealthyLivestock will support Chinese and EU policy making through CAAS and its links with International Veterinary Collaboration for China, and through the forthcoming EU Animal Welfare Platform and Network of Welfare Reference Centres.

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