THE ROLE OF ANIMAL NUTRITION IN ANIMAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is of high societal and political importance due to its
significant impacts on human and animal well-being. The feed and livestock sector is asked to
deliver its share of solutions to reduce AMR, most concretely by enhancing animal health. Both
EFSA and the European Commission recognise that the interaction of nutritionally-balanced feed
with the gut is a key factor for animal health and can, therefore, impact the need for
veterinary treatment with antibiotics, provided that animals can prosper in optimal housing and
hygiene conditions. Animal nutritionists, therefore, should be part of the group of experts that
advise livestock farmers on optimal animal health management. At the same time, European
citizens need to be reminded that antibiotic growth promoters are no longer allowed in animal
feed in Europe since 2006, which, according to the Eurobarometer, only 37% of Europeans are
aware of.
