Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
1918. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to reduce the use of antimicrobials in the pig and poultry sectors in particular with regard to piglets that are at high risk due to premature weaning leading to substantial use of antimicrobials to treat post-weaning diarrhoea; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20703/22]
View answerMy Department launched iNAP2, Ireland’s Second One Health National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2021-2025 in November 2021, in collaboration with the Department of Health. iNAP2 contains over 150 actions to address AMR. Actions taken to improve animal health and prevent disease are key to reducing the use of antibiotics and tackling AMR.
The Animal Health Implementation Committee (AHIC) chaired by my Department oversees the delivery of the animal health and environmental actions contained in iNAP2. This Committee has developed and published codes of good practice regarding the responsible use of antimicrobials on poultry and pig farms. Practical strategies outlined in these codes highlight important actions that farmers can take to reduce their overall use of antibiotics and to improve their herd health.
In November 2019, my Department launched the National Antimicrobial Usage Database for pigs. The database collects farm-level data on the number of antimicrobials used on commercial Irish pig farms on a quarterly basis. Measuring antibiotic use is a pivotal part of the national effort to reduce overall use and promote responsible use when antimicrobials are necessary and farms that are members of the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme must report their antimicrobial usage using the database.
