Animal medicines - what you should know
We know
medicines help protect us from disease and can help get us better when we
are ill, but there are a number of myths about the medicines given to keep
the UK’s farm animals healthy. Check out the following beliefs and challenge
your assumptions
1. Animals are given
more vaccinations and medicines than are necessary or good for them.
Just as parents ensure their children are properly
protected against disease, it is the responsibility of farmers to ensure the
good health and well-being of the animals under their care. Vaccines are
important in protecting animals from diseases that they are likely to
encounter and may be difficult to treat. Other medicines are used to treat
sick animals, or, for example, to protect them from parasite infestation.
The government, through the Veterinary Medicines
Directorate (VMD), controls the quality, safety and effectiveness of the
vaccines and medicines used in all animals.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate, in conjunction with
the Food Standards Agency and the Animal Health Agency, randomly collect
samples from farm animals and from food of animal origin to ensure that it
is safe to eat and that authorised medicines are being used both correctly
and safely.
Animal medicines and vaccines help the farmer and vet
ensure the good health and well-being of the animals under their care. They
will be used as little as possible but as much as necessary
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2. Animal medicines
are given to make money for farmers and vets
No. Animal medicines are used in farm animals, like pets
and people, to prevent and control disease and illness. Animal medicines are
just as sophisticated and effective as human medicines. They are expensive
to produce and licence for use in farm animals.
The farmer and vet are responsible for the health and
welfare of animals under their care. Medicines cost the farmer money –
veterinary surgeons and other prescribers do not indiscriminately prescribe
or supply medicines that are unnecessary for the health and welfare of
animals. As well as prescribing medicines in response to a disease problem,
veterinary surgeons and other advisers will often give farmers advice on the
animal husbandry measures they can take to prevent a recurrence of disease.
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3. You can’t be sure
that meat is safe to eat with all the vaccinations and medicines that
animals are given now.
There is published information, from independent sources
such as the Food Standards Agency and the Veterinary Residues Committee,
readily available to show that meat and other food produced from animals is
safe to eat.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) co-ordinates
the collection of samples from foodstuffs such as meat, milk and eggs from
both UK produce and imported produce. These food samples are analysed for
residues derived from the use of veterinary medicines.
The VMD is responsible for the reporting of results. This
work is overseen by the Veterinary Residues Committee, an independent
advisory committee that oversees the UK’s surveillance for residues of
veterinary medicines. These results are published and readily available.
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4. There are residues
of animal medicines in our food
Most animal food products do not contain any veterinary
medicine residues.
In the event that food from animals does contain
veterinary medicine residues, they will be at minute concentrations, below
the ‘no-effect level.’
The ‘no-effect level’ is the maximum dose of a substance
that can be consumed over a stated period without producing detectable ill
effects. The ‘no effect level’ is used to help calculate an appropriate
‘withdrawal period’ for the medicine.(1) Until the withdrawal period has
elapsed, the animal or its products must not be used for human consumption.
The results of the veterinary medicines residues surveillance schemes which
check that all is well are published by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate
(VMD). They demonstrate that British farmers use medicines responsibly.
On the very rare occasions that unacceptable residues
(residues above the maximum residue level) are found, the VMD works with the
Food Standards Agency in a follow up investigation, and to instigate action
to ensure public safety.
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5. Food
from animals that have been vaccinated is not safe to eat
Vaccines work by stimulating the body to produce its own
defence against infection. Mimicking what happens when an animal has been
exposed to disease, the body and its defensive system will "remember" the
identity of the invading organisms. Subsequent to this, if the animal comes
into contact with the infectious disease agent (e.g. bacteria or virus) that
the animal has been vaccinated against, its body is ready to fight it and
the animal will not fall ill and suffer. This protects the individual animal
and because of this the animal will not develop the disease and will not
become infected.
A further benefit of vaccination is that where a
significant proportion of the herd/flock is vaccinated, it helps protect the
unvaccinated animals in that population from the disease, a concept known as
"herd immunity".
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6. Legislation around
meat production and food safety is not tough enough.
Meat production and food safety are strictly regulated
and controlled. British farmers and the animal health industry as well as
those involved in processing food have to abide by strict controls. Their
work is closely monitored and they are inspected regularly by government
bodies including the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the Animal Health
Agency, Local Authority Environmental Health Officers and the Food Standards
Agency. The work of the VMD is also overseen and monitored by the Veterinary
Residues Committee, an independent advisory committee that manages the UK’s
surveillance programme for residues of veterinary medicines.
Recent consumer surveys show that there is public
confidence in the established systems to ensure using medicines to protect
farm animals’ health and welfare will not adversely affect the safety of
food from animals.
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7. Animals are given
antibiotics to boost growth.
Not true. At one time very small doses of some
antibiotics were allowed to be added to feed because they improved the
growth rates of some farm animals. But the EU phased out this practice,
stopping the sale of antibiotic growth promoters on the 1st January 2006.
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8. Animals are ’pumped
up’ with hormones to boost growth.
No – hormonal growth promoters have been banned since
1988 in the UK and the rest of the European Union.
Some hormones are used as medicines to treat sick cattle
or to aid fertility control in cattle, pigs and sheep. They must only be
prescribed under the strict control of a veterinarian. These products have
been licensed as safe to use in food producing animals by the Veterinary
Medicines Directorate, with withdrawal periods imposed to ensure no harmful
residues can enter the food chain.
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9. Animals are only
given vaccinations and medicines because hygiene and living conditions
standards are below par.
Animals, like people, need medicines too. Farmers use
advice from professional veterinary surgeons, animal nutrition advisers and
others to ensure that their livestock are kept healthy and their welfare is
maintained in line with or better than the current animal welfare
legislation.
Recent years have seen outbreaks of more “exotic”
diseases such as Bluetongue, Avian Influenza and others and increasing
levels of ‘endemic’ diseases such as Bovine Viral Diarrhoea and liver fluke.
Such diseases are difficult to control and eradicate by good husbandry
alone. Veterinary medicines, including vaccines, are tools that aid the good
health and well-being of farm animals.
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10. Animal medicines
are only necessary in intensive farming.
Animals, like people, get ill and need medicines either
to prevent or treat disease. Disease and illness occurs in all forms of
farming. It is the duty of the farmer to ensure that the animals are healthy
and husbandry practices comply with or exceed current animal health and
welfare legislation.
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11. Organically farmed
animals are not given antibiotics.
Just as with people animals can be prescribed antibiotics
to treat bacterial infections. If they were not then their welfare would
suffer. This is the case in both organic and conventional systems of
production.
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12. Organic meat is
healthier.
There is no evidence to suggest that organic meat is any
healthier than conventionally produced meat. The balance of current
scientific evidence does not support this view. Available evidence shows
that the nutrient levels are similar in food produced by both organic and
conventional agriculture.
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13. Organic farming is
better for the environment.
All types of farming require varying degrees of inputs to
ensure the production of safe and nutritious food. Animals farmed under a
variety of production systems are subject to disease and illness. Some
researchers say that extensively produced organic food places a greater
burden on the environment than efficiently grown conventional food as many
more animals are needed to produce the same volume of food. Our land and
resources are precious. With an expanding world population, more and more
sophisticated methods of production will be required to feed the world.
Organically produced food alone cannot meet the food (especially protein)
demands that humanity requires.
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14. Organic farming is
more humane.
No, both organic and conventional food production in the
UK must comply with current animal health, welfare and food hygiene
legislation.
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15. Animal medicines
are a serious risk to human health.
Correctly used, animal medicines do not pose any risk to
human health.
The animal medicines industry is committed to promoting
responsible use of all types of medicines under the slogan ‘as little as
possible, as much as necessary’. By continuing to follow this principle when
using medicines, farmers and veterinary surgeons can ensure that they remain
available as a key tool to help maintain the health and welfare of the UK’s
farm animals.
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Glossary and further information
(1)The withdrawal period is the time which
passes between the last dose given to the animal and the time when the level
of residues in the tissues (muscle, liver, kidney, skin/fat) or products
(milk, eggs, honey) is lower than or equal to the MRL. The Maximum Residue
Level (MRL) is the maximum concentration of residue following administration
of a veterinary medicine acceptable under the laws of the EU.
Antibiotics
Concerns that antibiotics may be losing their
effectiveness are not new, but the issue of antimicrobial resistance has
received increasing attention recently from the scientific and political
communities. Resistance to antimicrobial products is known to occur in both
human and veterinary medicine but is seen most commonly in hospitals where
antibiotic usage is high and where the ‘selection pressure’ creating and
maintaining a pool of resistant bacteria is also high. Many antibiotics have
been in animal use for 50 years and resistance here is not seen as a
significant problem.
There is currently concern in some quarters that use of
antibiotics in animals may compromise the effectiveness of related medicines
in man. The animal health industry recognises these concerns and takes
seriously its own responsibility in this area. As a result, extensive
studies, set up in conjunction with the relevant regulatory authorities, are
underway to help shed more light on this subject. Industry is also heavily
involved, from a worldwide to a UK level, in the development of responsible
use of medicines guidelines. In the UK these are produced by
RUMA (the Responsible Use
of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance).
All the available evidence suggests that the use of
antibiotics in animals has had little or no impact on the incidence of
antibiotic resistance in human infections with bacteria such as enterococci,
known to be carried by animals.
It has long been known that some types of bacteria, e.g.
Salmonella and Campylobacter, can pass from animals to man. However, the
majority of food poisoning outbreaks caused by these bacteria are not even
treated with antibiotics. Indeed, following the guidance on the safe
preparation and cooking of food issued by the Food Standards Agency is one
of the best ways to avoid food borne illness. Animal medicines are not a
risk to human health, and are vital to the health and welfare of our farm
animals.
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
www.vmd.gov.uk
Veterinary Residues Committee
http://www.vet-residues-committee.gov.uk/
Animal Health Agency
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/
Food Standards Agency
http://www.food.gov.uk/
RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance)
www.ruma.org.uk
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June 2010 |
