Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms to become increasingly resistant to an antimicrobial to which they were previously sensitive, a consequence of natural selection that is exacerbated by human factors such as the inappropriate use of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing concern, causing around 33,000 deaths annually in the European Union (EU) and 700,000 worldwide. This underlines the need to address AMR through a “One Health” approach that recognises the interlinkages between human health, animal health, and the environment.
To reduce the use of antibiotics, and thus the development of AMR, the EU has banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters since 2006. In addition, from the beginning of this year, drugs can only be used if fully justified by a veterinarian prescription, in cases where a high risk of infection is found.
However, antibiotic residues may be present in minimal amounts in non-medicated feed, resulting in the development of AMR, due to cross-contamination with medicated feed. For this reason, the EU has included 24 active substances in the list of priority antibiotics to be controlled in feed (EU Regulation 2019/4). To this end, analytical methods are needed that can be applied in the framework of official controls in EU Member States.
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