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THE GLOBAL ANTIBIOTIC CHALLENGE
Nutreco partners to solve the global antibiotic challenge through integrated cooperation across the feed-to-food chain
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by Nutreco, the Netherlands
he feed-to-food chain is currently facing a serious issue as the overuse of antibiotics in farming comes ever closer to a causing a global health crisis. Their improper use is leading to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that is becoming a major threat to human health. “It’s an issue that every player in the food chain needs to take seriously — and we need to work together to solve,” said Rob Koremans, CEO of Nutreco, a global animal nutrition and aqua feed company. “As a company, Nutreco is committed to finding new methods to grow healthy animals without the use of antibiotics, in partnership with our customers and others in the industry, and we are making strides every day.” The heavy use of antibiotics on farms creates resistant bacteria that gets into soil, water and even the fruits and vegetables we eat through animal manure, eventually spreading to humans. “If we don’t change our farming methods, the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is set to become a major human health crisis,” says Nutreco Corporate Sustainability Director José Villalón. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) is predicting that if no action is taken today, by the year 2050, more people are estimated to die of bacterial infections due to resistant bacteria than of cancer. “The WHO anticipates that up to 10 million people will die each year because of AMR compared to eight million, due to cancer. This is the principle health risk that our children and grandchildren will be facing in their lifetimes”, Mr Villalón says. José stressed that there is an urgent need for all players in the food chain to play their part in solving this issue — and it can be done if we work together. “The problem with antibiotic use on the farm is not one of use, it’s one of abuse,” said Otto Seijler, General Manager at Nutreco company Trouw Nutrition Hifeed. “Antibiotics are useful tools for treating sick animals, but the problem comes in when they’re used prophylactically, something that is unfortunately still a common protocol in animal husbandry. “When we see antibiotics used prophylactically on a farm, it’s often covering up poor farm management, that leads to increased stress and disease in farmed animals,” says Mr Seijler. “For example, some farms inoculate hatching eggs, so the bird is treated, just in case there is any disease, even when no symptoms are present.” Antibiotics are also used to address poor nutrition and stimulate improved growth performance. “All of this misuse can be significantly reduced or eliminated by a holistic approach to farm management combined with functional health diets and better animal nutrition.”
82 | February 2019 - Milling and Grain