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The European project MINAPIG (2012-2015), funded by the Emida Era-net programme, aimed to identify and evaluate strategies to improve animal health and thus reduce the use of antibiotics in pig farming.

For this project, UMR BIOEPAR collaborated with researchers from five other European countries : Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. A field study involving 227 farms was conducted with a common protocol in Germany, Belgium, France and Sweden. To date, the valorization of this work has led to the publication of 11 articles in international peer-reviewed journals*.

Lucie Collineau's PhD, supervised by Catherine Belloc (UMR BIOEPAR), was part of this project with a reflection on indicators describing the use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine. There are many indicators available, and their choice is crucial because of their influence on the interpretation of results. This synthesis proposed to reason this choice according to the objectives of the study quantifying the use of antibiotics (description of the evolution over time, comparison between populations or at different scales for example).

In order to contribute to the understanding of antibiotic use, an innovative statistical method was applied: it organises the different determinants (related to animal health, husbandry practices, as well as psycho-sociological determinants) into categories of explanatory variables. The category describing the occurrence of clinical signs was the most contributing category in all countries. Another original approach consisting in identifying the "best breeders" in the sample (low use of antibiotics and good zootechnical performance) also highlighted the need to control animal health, in particular through appropriate vaccination approaches.

Finally, an intervention study in 70 farms demonstrated the possibility of significantly reducing the use of antibiotics without impacting the technical and economic performance of the farms provided (i) a relevant intervention plan is defined following a diagnosis of the health situation and (ii) the recommendations are properly followed.

These results are in line with the measures proposed by the EcoAntiobio 2017 plan and the new European action plan against antibiotic resistance.

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* 11 articles published in international peer-reviewed journals :

• Postma M, Sjolund M, Collineau L, Losken S, Stark K, Dewulf J. (2015). Assigning defined daily doses animal: a European multi-country experience for antimicrobial products authorized for usage in pigs. J Antimicrob Chemother, 70: 294-302.
• Postma M, Stark K, Sjolund M, Backhans A, Grosse Beilage E, Losken S, Belloc C, Collineau L, Iten D, Visschers V, Nielsen E, Dewulf J. (2015). Alternatives to the use of antimicrobials in pig production: a multi-country expert ranking of perceived effectiveness, feasibility and return on investment. Prev Vet Med, 118: 457-66.
• Visschers V, Backhans A, Collineau L, Iten D, Loesken S, Postma M, Belloc C, Dewulf J, Grosse Beilage E, Siegrist M, Sjolund M, Stark K. (2015). Perceptions of antimicrobial use, antimicrobial resistance and policy measures to reduce antimicrobial usage in convenient samples of Belgian, French, German, Swedish and Swiss pig farmers. Prev Vet Med, 119: 10-20.
• Postma M, Backhans A, Collineau L, Loesken S, Sjolund M, Belloc C, Emanuelson U, Grosse Beilage E, Stark K, Dewulf J (2016). The biosecurity status and its associations with production and management characteristics in farrow-to-finish pig herds. Animal 10: 478-89.
• Visschers VHM, Backhans A, Collineau L, Loesken S, Nielsen EO, Belloc C, Dewulf J, Emanuelson U, Siegrist M, Sjölund M, Stärk KDC. (2016). A comparison of pig farmers’ and veterinarians’ perceptions and intentions to reduce antimicrobial usage in six European countries. Zoonoses and Public Health 63: 534-44.
• Postma M, Backhans A, Collineau L, Loesken S, Sjolund M, Belloc C, Emanuelson U, Grosse Beilage E, Okholm Nielsen E, Stark K, Dewulf J (2016). Evaluation of the relationship between the biosecurity status, production parameters, herd characteristics and antimicrobial usage in farrow-to-finish pig production in four EU countries. Porcine Health Management, 2 : 9.
• Visschers V, Postma M, Sjolund M, Backhans A, Collineau L, Loesken S, Belloc C, Dewulf J, Emanuelson U, Grosse Beilage E, Siegrist M, Staerk K. (2016). Higher perceived risk of antimicrobials is related to lower antimicrobial usage among pig farmers in four European countries. Vet Record, 179, 490.
• Sjölund M, Postma M, Collineau L,  Loesken S, Belloc C, Emanuelson U, Grosse Beilage E, Stark K, Dewulf J. (2016). Quantitative and qualitative antimicrobial usage patterns in farrow-to-finish pig herds in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. Prev Vet Med, 130 : 41-50.  
• Collineau L, Belloc C, Stark K, Hémonic A, Postma M, Dewulf J, Chauvin C. (2017). Guidance on the selection of indicators for quantification of antimicrobial usage in human and animals. Zoonoses and Public Health, 64: 165-184.
• Collineau L, Rojo-Gimeno C, Leger A, Backhans A, Lösken S, Olkhom Nielsen E, Postma M, Emanuelson U, grosse Beilage E, Sjölund M, Wauters E, Stark K, Dewulf J, Belloc C, Krebs S. (2017). Herd-specific interventions to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production without jeopardising technical and economic performance. Prev Vet Med, 144: 167-178.
• Collineau L, Backhans A, Dewulf J, Emanuelson U, grosse Beilage E, Lehébel A, Lösken S, Olkhom Nielsen E, Postma M, Sjölund M, Stark K, Visschers V, Belloc C. Profile of pig farms combining high performances and low antimicrobial usage within four European countries. (Vet Record, en révision).

Contacts

Scientific contact:

•  Catherine Belloc UMR BIOEPAR

Associated Department: Santé animale

Associated Centre: Pays de la Loire