A new publication involving GBADs members João Sucena Afonso, and Jonathan Rushton. Titled “Prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea in intensive pig production: insights from the European Union project AVANT“ it is now available here

Summary: 

Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a major driver of antimicrobial use (AMU) in European pig production. The European Union’s 2020–2025 multi-actor project Alternatives to Veterinary Antimicrobials, known as AVANT, evaluated various strategies to prevent PWD, including faecal filtrate transplantation (FFT), bacteriophage cocktails, immunostimulants, feed additives and fibre-based nutritional interventions. Field trials demonstrated that FFT and dietary inclusion of 5% alfalfa can reduce AMU at farm level by 21% and 6%, respectively. However, extrapolated to EU scale, these strategies would lower total livestock AMU by just 1.9% (FFT) and 0.5% (alfalfa) by 2035, far below the EU target of 50% reduction by 2030.

The project’s findings indicate that no single alternative can substantially reduce AMU for PWD. As PWD is closely linked to nutritional and social stressors around weaning in current pig farming practices, eliminating reliance on metaphylactic (group) treatment requires optimised feeding and management strategies that minimise weaning-related stress, support early gut microbiome development and feed intake, and enhance disease prevention. If optimal health cannot be ensured, eliminating metaphylaxis is unrealistic, as treatment remains necessary for animal welfare.

‘Raised Without Antibiotics’ systems show that metaphylactic AMU can be replaced by individual treatment, while concomitantly enhancing animal health and welfare. However, these systems require substantial investment in infrastructure, training and coordination of the pig production chain. Widespread adoption of production systems that minimise AMU to the lowest possible levels requires policies that encourage infrastructure investments as well as regulatory frameworks that engage consumers with standards allowing informed choices and fair market competition. This requires significant political will.

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