The EU Council of Ministers on Monday 26 November adopted regulations to reduce the use of antimicrobials in farm animals (see EUROPE 12125).
The texts are ready for publication in the EU Official Journal and will enter into force 20 days later. However, the new rules will only be fully operational as of late 2021.
The Council adopted the regulation on veterinary medicinal products (the Czech Republic abstained from voting) and the regulation on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of medicated feed.
The Czech Republic believes that the text will increase the financial costs for both public budgets and private companies. “The new regulation will lead to a loss of flexibility and - consequently - innovation, which could lead to veterinary drugs on the Czech market being unavailable,” said the delegation in a statement.
The new regulation limits prophylactic use (as a preventive measure) to individual animals (and not groups of animals) and only if fully justified by a veterinarian. Metaphylactic use (to treat a group of animals) should be a last resort and only possible after diagnosis and prescription of antimicrobials by a veterinarian. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)