10.10.2015

DANMAP (Danish Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring and Research Program) has monitored antimicrobial resistance and consumption of antimicrobial agents in food animals and in humans in Denmark since 1995.  Antimicrobial consumption in animals Data on all medicines prescribed by veterinarians have been registered at the farm and species level by the official VetStat programme since 2001. The total consumption of antimicrobial agents in 2014 amounted to 114 tonnes of active compound, a decrease of 2% compared with 2013. Pigs accounted for 76%, cattle for 11%, fur animals for 4%, aquaculture for 4%, and poultry for 1% of the total veterinary consumption of antimicrobials measured in kg active compound. The remaining 4% was used in pets, horses and others. The overall changes in veterinary consumption were generally driven by changes in consumption in the pig production. Pigs account for approximately 86% of the meat production in Denmark, but only for about 43% of the total live biomass. In 2014, the overall consumption of antimicrobial agents in poultry was approximately 1,548 kg active compound, which represents a 22% increase compared with 2013. The increase was mainly driven by an increase in the use of tetracyclines and to a lesser extent broad spectrum penicillins. There seem to be several reasons for this continued increase in consumption for poultry; increased occurrence of bacterial arthritis and diarrhoea in the broiler production along with widespread problems with respiratory disease in turkey flocks produced in early 2014. The reported use of fluoroquinolones in poultry has been low since 2006, and they were not used in the poultry production in 2014.