In the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), updated legislation on veterinary medicinal products applies in the EU from January 28th. This legislation was adopted three years ago, and now it is a cornerstone to help the achievement of the objectives set in the European One Health Action Plan and in the Farm to Fork Strategy against AMR. The legislation also consolidates the EU's leading role on the global stage to act against AMR.
The Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said that:
The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated how human, plant, and animal health, environmental health and food security are interlinked. The clearest illustration of these links is the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance.
We have set an ambitious target in our Farm to Fork Strategy of halving overall EU sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 2030. With the European One Health Action Plan, we aim to tackle this potential health crisis by addressing human, animal, and plant health as one continuum. The new rules will be key to achieving this.
In the EU, the majority of antimicrobials are administered to animals, to which the same basic principle applies as for humans: to treat illness and keep them healthy. However, it is possible to reduce infections and the need for treatment in the first place, through improved hygiene practices and vaccination, as well as – in the case of farmed animals - biosecurity and animal husbandry. Limiting the use of antimicrobials must be the priority.
The new rules will ensure that, as of today, treatments by antimicrobials for animals will be administered when, and only when, there is a real need for them. Together with
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