Brussels, 15/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's agriculture committee voted on Tuesday 15 March for tighter rules on the production, sale and use of medicated feed to treat groups of animals, with the aim of fighting antimicrobial resistance.
The report by Clara Eugenia Aguilera Garcia (S&D, Spain), adopted by 40 votes to 3, complements the report by Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France) on veterinary medicines for which the environment committee has responsibility (see EUROPE 11509).
Just like the amendments adopted in plenary session on the Grossetête report, the agriculture committee wants the EU to ban preventive antibiotic treatment.
MEPs want to restrict prophylactic (preventive) use of antibiotic medicated feed. To minimise the spread of an infection within a group of animals, metaphylactic (that is, on the whole herd when a single animal is ill) use should be allowed but only if the presence of an infectious agent has been confirmed, according to amendments adopted. The committee insists that antibiotics must under no circumstance be used to enhance the performance of food-producing animals or to compensate for poor hygiene and husbandry.
According to the amendments, prescriptions for medicated feed containing antibiotics should be always issued by a veterinarian, or another professional qualified to do so by a national law, after a proper physical examination and diagnosis.
The committee also calls for new draft legislation within one year to extend EU rules to all forms of oral veterinary medicines, whether in feed or drinking water. Medicated feed is only one of various therapeutic alternatives for the oral administration of veterinary medicines to groups of animals. Others exist such as soluble medicines (mixing drinking water with veterinary medicines) or “top dressing”, whereby the farmer manually sprinkles veterinary medicinal products onto feed.
The Commission is proposing a general 1% limit for carry-overs of active medicinal substances from feed until such time as a limit can be set for each individual active substance. The agriculture committee, however, feels the Commission has not provided convincing evidence that setting such a limit would lead to concrete results in terms of tackling antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, setting a 1% limit would require standards so strict that they would threaten the economic viability of the production of medicated feed. MEPs suggest the limit be set at 3% for all active substances until specific limits, established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and based on scientific evidence, can be set for each active substance.
Talks between the Council and the Parliament can begin now that Parliament has adopted its negotiating position in the agriculture committee. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)