ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2024 41 • More worryingly, no less than 11% of WOAH Members still use as growth promoters at least one of the highest priority critically important antimicrobials for human medicine, such as colistin. • At least 50% of the members using antimicrobials as growth promoters have no regulatory framework in place. • In some countries, the labelling of certain feed additives intended to increase productivity does not mention the presence of low doses of antimicrobials, which are then unknowingly administered to animals by veterinarians and farmers. Such practices are not in compliance with WOAH international standards or the Global Action Plan on AMR. So, WOAH emphasised that competent authorities and the livestock industry must fulfil their responsibilities to phase out the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion in animals. WOAH standards make a clear distinction between veterinary medical use of antimicrobials, which is limited to the treatment, control, and, where appropriate, prevention of infectious diseases, and non-veterinary medical use. The organisation stated that the administration of antimicrobials for growth promotion in animals is a non-veterinary medical use, and it must not be assimilated to disease prevention use, which requires animals to be at a proven risk of disease if the medicine is not administered. WOAH calls on its members to restrict the use of antimicrobials solely to veterinary medical use and to actively engage in dialogue with the concerned parties to achieve a total ban on the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters, starting with those that are critically important for human health. According to the WOAH, competent authorities must enact relevant legislation in this regard and are invited to explore and promote alternatives to improve animal productivity, as relevant. These can include, among others, animal health programmes that focus on disease prevention (e.g., deworming and vaccination), biosecurity, and good animal husbandry practices. The misuse of antimicrobials in different sectors accelerates antimicrobial resistance. WOAH called for the animal health sector to play its part in curbing this global scourge that threatens animal, human, and plant health and adopting sustainable practices.
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