However, the Greens have now filed a resolution in the European Parliament to demand the complete prohibition of reserve antibiotics in animal farming. These powerful drugs should only be used by humans, they believe. Furthermore, high levels of exposure to these antibiotics render them useless over time as resistance levels increase.
MEP Tilly Metz commented: "Our resolution targets large-scale animal farming and the prophylactic use of strong antibiotics."
Chairman of the national veterinarian's association Jean Schoos noted that this will render his profession extremely difficult and argued against the resolution from the Greens. He emphasised that the current regulation fails to differentiate between pets and farm animals, a fact that can no longer be changed.
Once the large-scale use of antibiotics is prohibited, it will be difficult or even impossible to get them for individual uses, as the pharmaceutical industry will no longer profit from production. Schoos thus concluded that antibiotics cannot and should not be used to further counterproductive agricultural policies.
The EU directive 2019/6 is set to come into effect next year. Whether or not the resolution put forward by the Greens will be accepted remains to be seen.
