Streamlining the use of veterinary drugs in livestock

Abstract

The widespread and systematic use of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine has promoted the development of resistance in infectious agents particularly towards antibiotics. To reduce this problem, public policies in France and Europe have been implementing plans to control and reduce the use of antibiotics for ten years. These plans have been successful, as the volumes of antibiotics used in livestock farming have significantly decreased. They have also made it possible for the use of drug inputs in livestock farming to be reasoned more comprehensively, to strengthen preventive measures (biosecurity, vaccination), to modify farming practices in close collaboration with farmers and veterinarians in the various animal sectors and to develop alternative products to antibiotics and antiparasitics molecules (plant extracts, essential oils, organic acids, prebiotics, probiotics…). This special issue of the INRAE journal Productions Animal contains articles that review the main results and perspectives of recent research projects that have addressed these different aspects.