Source: Rebecca Kwakman, Pig Progress, 13 August 2021, photo credit: Good Food World
After years of consuming high volumes of antibiotics, China appears to be well on the way to reducing its antibiotic usage. In 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture was already reporting a substantial decrease, and a recent article in The Lancet confirmed that trend.
If one industry has made significant progress over the last decade in China, it must be that of veterinary medicine. Around 10 years ago, China was a huge consumer of antibiotics, and biosecurity practices were applied but not always wholeheartedly embraced.
Fast forward to 2021 and a completely new picture emerges. Obviously the presence of highly pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus as well as African swine fever have shown that in terms of biosecurity great strides can be taken to enhance animal health status on-farm. On top of that, the Chinese authorities have stepped up their efforts to reduce levels of antibiotic usage.
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The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) coordinates industry interventions and collaboratively manages risks in the value chain to enable the sustainability and profitability of pork producers in South Africa.
