MEPs have just approved a provision in the draft law on agriculture limiting the issuance of antibiotics to animals. The objective is to avoid direct health consequences for human health.
The text presented to the National Assembly on Friday by the Minister of Agriculture Stéphane le Foll proposes to prohibit, for example, discounts or rebates as well as the delivery of free units during the sale of antibiotic drugs to breeders. The objective of this provision of the draft law on Agriculture which has just been approved by the deputies is simple, to strengthen the current system for monitoring the sales of these products and to limit the margins achieved by the sellers. “The consumption of antibiotics by animals, which accounts for a large part of the total consumption of antibiotics worldwide, has direct health consequences for human health. Indeed, the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry leads to the presence of resistance genes in foods which can be transmitted to humans through the food chain, ”said the rapporteur of the bill, Germinal Peiro (PS).
A pillar in the fight against human antibiotic resistance
“There is an emergency, one of the major scientific advances of the 20th century is threatened if we do not react” proclaimed Marisol Touraine during the European Days to raise awareness of the good use of antibiotics last November. And among a series of measures taken or planned to fight against antibiotic resistance, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Agriculture had therefore officially committed to continuing to reduce the exposure of animals to antibiotics. “France has made great progress over the past 10 years with a reduction of around 40% for antibiotics critical to animal health. We must go further and make France a leading country in the fight against antibiotic resistance, ”added Stéphane le Foll. In fact, in some sectors, the consumption of these drugs has continued to increase. The law is therefore supposed to set specific targets for reducing consumption.
A level of animal exposure already reduced by 15% in 5 years
After a quick debate, the article presented Friday to the National Assembly was therefore adopted by the deputies present in the hemicycle. According to Mr. Peiro, this bill will strengthen measures already taken which have given initial results: the level of exposure to antibiotics in the animal population has decreased by 15% in France over the past five years.
AFP source
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