ISSUE FOCUS 40 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2024 The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) urges veterinary authorities and the animal industry to live up to their commitments regarding the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters. WOAH CALLS FOR ANTIMICROBIALS NOT TO BE USED AS GROWTH PROMOTERS Antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern. In recent years, the international community has made important commitments to address this global health threat. One of these is to phase out the use of antimicrobials to promote growth in healthy animals. It is time to move from commitment to action, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the health of humans, animals, plants, and our shared environment. Too often, antimicrobials are misused or overused across sectors, creating the conditions for this phenomenon to emerge. While the majority of WOAH Members have taken strong action in recent years to reduce their use in animals, further efforts are needed as these drugs are still being inappropriately used as growth promoters in some countries. TAKING STOCK OF THE USE OF ANTIMICROBIALS FOR GROWTH PROMOTION In 2016, all WOAH Members committed to definitively ban the use of the highest-priority antimicrobials for humans and to phase out the use of antimicrobials in animals for growth promotion purposes in the absence of a risk analysis. How has this commitment been put into practice so far? • Almost 20% of members still report using antimicrobials for growth promotion. Of these, it is estimated that 76% have not carried out any preliminary risk analysis.
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