Minister welcomes cessation of the use of Colistin in the animal health sector

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has welcomed the announcement of a Statement of Intent around the Voluntary Cessation of Use of Colistin in the Animal Health sector in Ireland

Members of the iNAP Animal Health Implementation Committee (AHIC)  have endorsed a statement of intent to cease the use of Colistin in the animal health sector in Ireland.

This broad stakeholder representative committee is playing a key role in delivering the actions contained in Ireland’s national action plan, (iNAP) to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) both in the animal health sector and in our shared environment.

Minister McConalogue said: "This voluntary agreement by stakeholders is testimony to the commitment of the agri-sector in addressing AMR, and I acknowledges the importance of colistin, in treating life-threatening bacterial infections that cause significant mortality and morbidity in human healthcare.”

He emphasised that the agreement underlines the commitment and leadership shown within the agri- food sector to address societal concerns in relation to responsible use of antimicrobials in animals. The World Health Organisation has included colistin in a list of Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials.

The Minister welcomed the timely announcement of this statement of intent as the forthcoming new Veterinary Medicines and Medicated Feed Regulations are due to come into effect in January 2022.

He added: “These new Regulations place key emphasis on addressing antimicrobial resistance.  

"The clear shift at European level is to drive cultural change in using medicines only when necessary and focus more on preventative measures. This aligns with Ireland’s National Farmed Animal Health Strategy with one of the key principles being ‘Prevention is Better than Cure’. AMR remains a challenge not just for human health, but also animal health, food security and our shared environment.

"All stakeholders have an important role in addressing this One Health issue, and as part of today’s announcement he particularly wanted to thank the collaboration and leadership shown by Veterinary Ireland and the Irish Farmers Association.

The Minister stated that, “By veterinary practitioners and farmers working together to improve animal health and ceasing to use colistin, this proactive approach will protect the effectiveness of this antimicrobial of last resort in human health.”

The Minister referenced that, whilst disease prevention must be the primary goal, antimicrobials are essential medicines for human and animal health and welfare, and that development and spread of resistance is influenced by the usage of antimicrobials in both human and animals.

He emphasised the importance of continued engagement of stakeholders to address AMR across the human health, animal health, and environment sectors at a One Health level. He commended the collective actions taken, under Ireland’s national action plan to address AMR (iNAP).

The Minister concluded: "In order to successfully address AMR the primary goal of the agri-food sector must be to continuously work on achieving and maintaining the highest possible standards in animal health and thus reducing antimicrobial usage. I welcome this measure adopted by the AHIC and I look forward to launching the next iteration of iNAP later this year and building on the progress achieved so far as we work in partnership, understanding that we all have a role to play in ensuring effective disease treatments for ourselves, our families , our communities and our animals.“