The Spanish pig sector reduces the use of colistin by more than 80%
The Program for the voluntary reduction of colistin in pigs is being a success in Spain, according to the sectorial organization Anprogapor.
The use of colistin in swine was 51.09 mg/PCU in 2015, figure reduced to 9 mg/PCU in the first semester of 2017, thanks to the implementation of the aforementioned plan.
Another of the sector commitments is to control the alternative use of antimicrobials, avoiding the increase in the neomicyn consumption and apramicyn as substitutes for colistin. This commitment has also been met, since the use of neomicyn has been reduced by 62% between 2015 (38.83 mg/PCU) and the first half of 2017 (14.81 mg/PCU). The use of apramicyn has remained constant.
All these data are included in the following figure provided by the Spanish Agency for Medicines:
This program of voluntary reduction of colistin has been signed by 44 companies (see figure below), meaning 23 million slaughtered pigs per year and 1 million sows.
The ultimate goal of the plan is to reduce the colistin consumption to 5 mg/PCU in the maximum period of three years, which is the maximum target level recommended by EMA. Once this objective is reached, the Spanish sector will consider a new reduction up to 2 mg/PCU.
Source: agrodigital.com