HC Deb 07 November 2002 vol 392 cc571-2W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the extent of antibiotic use in agriculture, and if she will make a statement. [79699]

Mr. Morley

The Government take the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria very seriously and is developing policies to minimise unnecessary use of antibiotics in controlling animal diseases.

One of the key planks of the Government's strategy to reduce the amount of antibiotics used on farm is to encourage the prudent use of all medicines. The Government actively supports the activities of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) alliance in helping to promote this message.

Government policy on this issue is informed by the advice of its specialist advisory committees. My Department funds a research programme with a principle aim of reducing the use of antibiotics by developing alternative approaches to animal disease control.

The Government also monitor annually the sale of antibiotics for use in animals in the UK. In February 2002 the Government published the latest of its annual reports for sales of antimicrobial products used as veterinary medicines, growth promoters and coccidiostats. The report showed that 437 tonnes of active ingredient of therapeutic antimicrobials were sold for food producing animals in 2000. This slight increase over the previous period is believed to be due in the main to the EU ban of some antimicrobial growth promoters in June 1999, which resulted in a rise in clinical infections in animals that required treatment. There has also been an increased need to treat secondary infections in pigs suffering from two new diseases in the pig industry (Post-weaning Multi-system Wasting Syndrome (PMWS) or Porcine Dermatitis and Nephritis Syndrome (PDNS) that are having a significant impact on our domestic pig herds. Despite the increase, sales for 2000 remain amongst the lowest of the eight years for which sales data are available.

No antibiotic products are used in horticulture in the UK.

The report is available in the House library.