New Zealand Food Safety welcomes falling antibiotic use

NZ Food Safety report says a 23 per cent drop in the sale of antibiotics for plants and animals is good news. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Farmers and veterinarians need to remain vigilant to minimise the incidence of antimicrobial resistance, New Zealand Food Safety says.

Deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said the sales of veterinary and horticultural antibiotics in New Zealand had fallen for a fifth year in a row, dropping by 23 per cent in 2022.

New Zealand Food Safety released the 2022 antibiotic agricultural compound sales analysis last week.

The report summarised the trends in the annual sales of veterinary and horticultural antibiotics as part of a national action plan to reduce antimicrobial resistance.

“The World Health Organisation has identified antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 global health threats facing humanity, so seeing a 23 per cent drop in the sale of antibiotics for plants and animals is good news.

“Antibiotics were antimicrobial medicines essential to the health of humans, animals, and plants, but using them excessively could lead to the emergence of resistant bacteria that did not respond to antibiotic treatment.”

As resistance was increasing around the world, and few new antibiotics were being developed, careful use of the existing antibiotics would help to keep them effective, he said.

Of the 16 classes of antibiotics New Zealand Food Safety monitors, five were critically important for human health, meaning they should be considered the last line of defence in animal infections.

“The continued vigilance of veterinarians, farmers and other industry stakeholders, as well as our ongoing monitoring and support, were an effective way to minimise the incidence of the resistance,” Arbuckle said.

“We are also reviewing our regulatory oversight of antibiotics used in plants and animals.”