February 18, 2009
The Netherlands may end medicated feeds production by 2012
The production of medicated feeds in the Netherlands could end in 2012 if acceptable alternatives are available by then, an industry expert said.
Henk Flipsen, director of Dutch animal feed organisation Nevedi, said farmers could mix the medicines with feed or they could be administered through water as alternatives.
However, research showed that would be expensive and it is unclear who should pay for it.
Dik Mevius, head of the reference laboratory of the Central Veterinary Institute in the Netherlands, said the suggested alternatives will create problems with carryover of drugs and could also hurt the health of farmers.
Another problem is that medicated feed have a European registration, Mevius said.
Mevius added that feed quality is under pressure due to high costs and high quality protein has disappeared from feed since the ban on meat and bone meal as a result of the mad cow disease crisis.
A decreasing use of
medicated feed is one of the agreements laid down in the Agreement Antibiotics Resistance last year. The aim of reducing the use of antibiotics in farm animals is meant to lower the increased resistance against antibiotics in animals and humans.