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AMR: Pig council publishes antibiotic guidelines
The guidelines offer advice on how to use antibiotics when a veterinary surgeon has recommended them as appropriate.
Guide aims to help farmers use veterinary drugs responsibly

The Pig Health and Welfare Council (PHWC) has released a set of guidelines to help farmers use antibiotics responsibly.

Put together by the council’s Antimicrobial Use sub-group, the guidelines offer advice on how to use antibiotics when a veterinary surgeon has recommended them as appropriate.

Pig farmers must observe good biosecurity and husbandry to control disease and reduce the need for antibiotics. This includes proper management of ventilation, nutrition, water supply, housing, hygiene and biosecurity.

The guidelines stress that antibiotics must only be used after consultation with a veterinary surgeon.

In addition, they recognise that in specific situations, vets may advise alternative good practice solutions based on their knowledge of the farm. In these scenarios, it is emphasised that advice from a vet should always take precedence over the PHWC guidelines.

National Pig Association’s policy advisor Georgina Crayford, who sits on the antimicrobial sub-group, urged all producers to familiarise themselves with the guidelines, to ensure the industry continues to use antibiotics responsibly, reducing their use whilst maintaining animal health and welfare.

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise £100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.