§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on the use of the drug Baytril in farm animals; [26779]
(2) when the drug Baytril was approved for use in farm animals in the United Kingdom; and how much has been administered per month since approval; [26781]
510W(3) what estimates he had made on the future levels of Baytril which will be administered to United Kingdom farm animals. [26782]
§ Mrs. BrowningBaytril contains enrofloxacin, a synthetic broad spectrum antimicrobials, bactericidal in action and effective against a wide range of gram positive and gram negative bacteria, as well as mycoplasmas. It is presented as an oral solution, or injection for farm animals, and licensed for use in pigs, cattle and poultry. Full details are given in the 1994–95 "Compendium of Data Sheets for Veterinary Products," published by the National Office of Animal Health. The major use is in poultry for which licences were issued on 11 November 1993.
Baytril is available on veterinary prescription only and indicated for use only where clinical experience, supported where possible by sensitivity testing of the casual organism, indicates enrofloxacin as the drug of choice. Its use is therefore at the discretion of individual veterinary surgeons, in exercising their professional judgment over the treatment considered necessary on clinical grounds. For this reason, no information is available on the amounts administered per month, nor can forecasts be made on future levels of administration.