ACMSF Report will not give fully up-to-date picture, says NOAH

The report of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, due to be published tomorrow, will be ‘an interesting historic document’, claims the National Office of Animal Health. Its proposals should be read in the light of all that has already been done in UK and Europe.

The Working Group set up specifically to examine antimicrobials in the food chain was set up in 1996 - NOAH itself gave oral evidence in 1997 with a follow up in spring 1998.

"Yet much has moved on since then, not only in the UK but throughout Europe and the rest of the world," says NOAH director Roger Cook.

"All animal medicines are controlled stringently in their licensing and use. Both the veterinary and medical professions are aware of the vital role of antibiotics in keeping their patients - and the need to keep them effective in the future.

"Since the inception of the ACMSF inquiry there have been many expert reports on the future for antibiotics in animals and humans - the UK House of Lords Select Committee and Veterinary Products Committee; the EU Commission Report and the report of the Committee on Veterinary Medicinal Products; the World Health Organisation report, as well as a host of national and international conferences," said Mr Cook.

He added that many of the proposals from these reports were already in place in the UK; others have been established since and more are underway. These include quality assurance schemes, veterinary profession codes of practice on antibiotic use, the very stringent licensing system for animal medicines, an in-depth surveillance study for risk assessment underway in six European countries involving tens of thousands of bacterial samples, and the RUMA alliance.

"The RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture) alliance involves organisations representing every stage of the “farm to fork” chain, promoting a co-ordinated and integrated approach to best practice. This means the whole food chain is acting together to ensure the safety of British meat offered to consumers," said Mr Cook.

Following 18 months work, this summer RUMA launched guidelines on the responsible use of antibiotics in pig and poultry: guidelines for cattle and sheep will be published soon. The overall aim is to promote best practice in livestock husbandry to reduce the need for antibiotic usage.

Recognising the particular need to maintain the availability and efficacy of fluoroquinolones for both humans and animals, last year the industry developed a position on what constitutes their responsible use, as an extra guide to the veterinary profession and animal medicine industry.

Mr Cook said: "This reiterates the importance of sticking to the letter of the law when using these products and in advertising their use. It highlights the role of therapeutic treatment within total health management such as vaccination and good animal care. And it clears up misconceptions surrounding their use: fluoroquinolones are not licensed for use as growth promoters and are not used in this manner".

"We look forward to the publication of this report, but stress that the use of antibiotics is a global issue and that some of the report’s comments could have been superseded. Government, in its consideration of the report, should not consider it in isolation. Much has already been done: however the animal health industry is not complacent, and welcomes the opportunity to continue to work alongside the veterinary and medical professions, to keep antibiotics effective for animals and people," said Mr Cook.

17 August 1999

Notes for Editors

1. For further information contact Roger Cook or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131, or visit the NOAH website.

2. The National Office of Animal Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent the UK companies which research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health products. The association has 34 corporate members and 10 associate members. In 1998 NOAH's members accounted for around 95% of the £384 million UK animal health market, with additional valuable exports.