NEWS 82 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE July 2022 The use of antimicrobials in animals across the world has shown an overall decrease of 27% between 2016 and 2018, according to the data reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE). Similar progress has been found in the use of antibiotics for growth promotion. For long a common way to enhance productivity in animals raised for human consumption, the use of antibiotics in healthy animals to boost growth is no longer a practice in nearly 70% of the reporting countries. Antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, rank amongst humanity’s most spectacular achievements. They paved the way to better living conditions for humans and animals. Yet many of these life-saving drugs are losing their efficacy against numerous microbes. The phenomenon is known as “antimicrobial resistance”. Partially a natural process, antimicrobial resistance can be greatly accelerated by the overuse or misuse of antimicrobials, which can exert selective pressure for pathogens with resistance traits to survive and thrive. These “superbugs” can then travel through waterways, soil and air, infecting all living beings, regardless of their species, along the way. With the aim of monitoring trends in the animal health sector, WOAH launched an annual data collection process in 2015. The initiative has seen steady and increased engagement from the Members of the Organisation, who have improved their capacity to gather and provide more detailed information over time. Despite the disruptions caused by Covid-19, nearly 160 countries have participated in the last round of data collection. It is to date, the most comprehensive set of information available on the use of antimicrobials in animals. Use of antimicrobials in animals trends downwards, WOAH report says Viterra hosts grand opening of Biggar grain terminal Viterra Canada Inc. hosted a grand opening event on June 14 at its new high throughput grain facility at Biggar, SK. Viterra customers, employees and government officials came together to commemorate the company's major investment in west central Saskatchewan. “Our significant investment in this new grain elevator demonstrates our confidence that this area of the province will continue to play an important role in Canadian and global agriculture for many more years to come,” said Kyle Jeworski, Viterra's CEO for North America. “We are proud to revitalize our presence through this facility, and of what it will mean to farmers, suppliers and other stakeholders in this province and in this community.” The facility has a storage capacity of 34,000 metric tonnes, and can load up to 156 railcars through a loop track. “We recognize that our success as a company is tied to the high level of service we provide to our customers, and their ability to provide us with the quality products we need to meet our end users' expectations worldwide,” said Jeworski.
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