Limiting antibiotic treatment and improving infection control are at the heart of EU efforts to manage the rising threat of animal antimicrobial resistance.

Proposals for controlling antibiotic use in livestock

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/19169378/n005-160310-002-en.srt

Resistance to antibiotics  to treat illness and disease

is one of the big medical challenges  of the day.

No surprise then, that fighting  anti-microbial resistance

lies at the heart of new legislation  being considered by MEPs

We have a massive amount of antibiotics  used directly in animal growth promotion.

More antibiotics are given  to healthy animals than to sick people

MEPs believe a comprehensive approach  is needed, limiting the use of anti-microbials

to case-by-case treatment of disease,  rather than for prevention,

plus restricting wider use when one animal  in a group is hit by disease.

Parliament is considering an overhaul  of a regulation dating back to 2001,

and bringing the authorisation  and distribution of medicines up to date.

It facilitates the access  to medicinal products

and also it facilitates the transport and  circulation of medicines across the EU.

Many specialists argue that change  and harmonisation is long overdue

in a market which is small  but highly fragmented.