TheDairySite Newsletter - 18 November 2011

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Friday 18th November 2011

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Global Pressure To Reduce Antimicrobial Use

Antibiotics are used on farm to treat disease, prevent disease and in some countries to increase growth-rates and productivity.

The EU banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in 2006, however the practice still continues in the US.

Resistance to antibiotics is a growing problem. There is some evidence that resistant bacteria is passed from animals to humans through the food chain.

With this in mind, the EU has launched an action plan for the next five years to limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The plan aims to limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance and develop new anti-microbial treatment.

It includes advice for veterinarians to use antimicrobials more appropriately in animals and increase the monitoring and surveillance of their use.

More specifically, it has been announced that EU laws on veterinary medicines and medicated feed will be strengthened and recommendations for the use of antimicrobials will be introduced.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied pleas to ban the use of antibiotics in farm animals. Instead the agency says that a voluntary approach will lead to a more judicious use of the drugs.

The agency proposed draft guidance for achieving judicious use in June 2010. The guidance essentially says that antibiotic use in food animals should be limited to what is necessary for ensuring animal health and should take place under veterinary oversight.

It should be noted that the FDA has not said that the use of antibiotics in animals needs to be reduced, rather that withdrawing them would be too expensive.

Clearly something needs to be done to reduce antimicrobial resistance, however a complete ban of antibiotic seems an extreme option - especially in a country that heavily relies on them for production.

Charlotte Johnston

TheDairySite Book Focus

	Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Sheep and Cattle: Biology and Controls A unique resource for all those interested in the impact of worms on livestock, the anthelmintics used to get rid of them and the emerging problem of anthelmintic resistance...Order Now Online
	Dairy Fats and Related Products It is hoped that the book will provide a valuable reference work for dairy scientists and technologists within the dairy industry and those with similar processing requirements, as well as researchers and students, thus becoming an important component of the SDT’s Technical Series. Order Now Online

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 6 new features this week:

Short Feed Supplies Requires Extra Management
Drought has taken a toll on forage and hay supplies, leaving dairy producers searching for feed. Texas AgriLife Extension Service dairy specialist Dr Ellen Jordan said they need to begin following a systematic approach to forage management.

Animart Legend Heat Detection System
The Legend Heat Detection System from Animart was awarded a place in the Dairy Herd Management top 10 innovative products of 2011. Charlotte Johnston, TheCattleSite editor finds out more about the product.

Bid To Ban Export Refunds For Live Cattle
Eurogroup for Animals is calling on the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States to eliminate all subsidies for the export of live animals to third countries with immediate effect.

Feed Outlook - November 2011
US feed grain production estimates have been lowered for 2011/12, according to Tom Capehart and Edward Allen in the latest report from the USDA Economic Research Service.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates - November 2011
While beef and broiler production forecasts for 2011 are lowered, pork and turkey production are increased, according to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) for November.

Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook - November 2011
Drought has increased the number of cattle to slaughter, whilst beef exports continue to grow. In the dairy industry, milk output increases, however greater supply of dairy products worldwide will put pressure on prices in the coming year, according to the latest Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook from the USDA's Economic Research Service.

Company News

£82/Cow Gain From Dealing With Worm Burdens
GLOBAL - A free bulk milk test to indicate whether treatment of adult dairy cows for gastrointestinal worms is justified has been introduced by Pfizer.

Global Dairy Cattle Industry News