Netherlands
#00284
Implementer
Dutch government, Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Institute, veterinarians and livestock sectors
Location
Description
Beginning in 2009, the Netherlands combined national reduction targets with farm-level and veterinarian benchmarking, restrictions on critically important antibiotics, mandatory treatment plans and sector-specific animal-health improvements.
Veterinary antibiotic sales fell by almost 70 percent by 2019 compared with 2009. Resistance indicators in livestock generally stabilized or declined, and use of antibiotics important for human treatment became very low. The case is classified as partial because resistance did not disappear, trends differ by organism and sector, and continued animal-health improvements are required.
Metrics
1Lessons learned
- Binding targets work better when farmers and veterinarians can see their performance relative to peers.
- Restrictions should be paired with farm health plans so lower use does not compromise animal welfare.
- Antimicrobial-use reductions and resistance outcomes should be reported separately because they change at different rates.
Sources
3