Helping Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance

Helping Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance

Antibiotics are crucial for human and animal health and welfare. However, antimicrobial resistance threatens their effectiveness.

The good news is that the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance is reversible and goes down again with the avoidance of the use of antibiotics. To preserve the medicinal value of antibiotics, their application in farming should be limited to therapeutic use or disease prevention if needed.

Health through optimum nutrition, precision services and gut-supporting feed additives can all contribute to reducing the need for antibiotics in livestock. Science-based solutions from dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health along with biosecurity and veterinary services are proven to work in commercial settings to keep animals healthy, support farm profitability and enhance the sustainable production of safe, nutritious food.

The Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Productivity in animal production has been advanced by many innovations in farming practices over the years. One contributory factor has been the use of antibiotics in low dosages. However, there is now a significant body of evidence that substantiates the link between the misuse and over-use of antibiotics in animal production and human medicine and the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the wider population.

AMR is one of the world’s most rapidly emerging public health threats, claiming some 700,000 lives a year and representing a significant economic burden. AMR is flagged as one of the major issues for humanity. Unless tackled, it will become the single leading cause of death worldwide by 2050.

Rapid countermeasures to introduce alternative, integrated health management programs are therefore under way. This is happening nowhere faster than in the animal farming industry.

Countering Antimicrobial Resistance

Responsible use of antibiotics is pivotal to driving transformational change.

We support the responsible use of antibiotics to ensure animal health and welfare. We believe that antibiotics should only be used under veterinarian supervision and in compliance with national authority approvals.

We advocate the replacement of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) and reduced prophylactic use of antibiotics through the deployment of alternative nutritional solutions and innovations.

Our Alternative Nutritional Solutions

Eubiotics such as organic acids, phytogenics (natural plant extracts), probiotics and prebiotics, along with OVN Optimum Vitamin Nutrition®, enable the industry to reduce its antibiotic use. Additionally, Verax™ provides data-driven optimization of nutrition to improve animal health, performance, and environmental footprint.”

These nutritional ingredients strengthen gut health and the robustness of farm animals, leading to: