The misuse and overconsumption of antibiotics (AB) in livestock production in Vietnam resulted in antibiotic resistance that was addressed in the National Action Plan in Animal Husbandry and Aquaculture in 2017. It is not clear how the strategies put in place are understood, accepted and applied by the different stakeholders in the antibiotic chain. There is a need to identify the bottlenecks and barriers to the implementation of the current strategies and recommend possible solutions to overcoming them, thus increasing the compliance of the legislation with the current situation in the sector. Within the ROADMAP project, Stakeholders Mapping and Analysis (SMA) is being carried out including the literature review of the legislative framework regarding veterinary medicine products and development of a timeline for the implementation of veterinary medicine products legislation and in-depth interviews with key actors to explore their abilities to comply with the policy. The expected outcomes of this study include providing recommendations to policy-makers to improve the acceptability of measures and develop new strategies to reduce AMU in livestock production, developing local initiative to adapt to these changes and developing an AB-free or organic production to overcome legislative barriers.

In 2019, the Mozambican Government has adopted a multi-sectorial action plan on antimicrobial resistance (NAP-AMR). However, little information is available on antimicrobial use and resistance in the Mozambican animal sector. The ROADMAP project in Mozambique is supporting the implementation of the NAP-AMR by identifying the socio-technical lock-ins and priority for action in the vet drugs and poultry sectors and strengthening a community of stakeholders with veterinary authorities, professional associations (poultry farmers, drugs sellers, veterinarians) and academia (veterinary and social sciences). As expected outcomes of the study, there will be:

1. Knowledge on veterinary drugs supply chain about its functioning and regulation, and AB use in poultry production for the quantification of the AB use at farm level and drivers of the stakeholders’ behaviours

2. Good practice guidelines and priorities for action in the poultry and the vet drugs sectors

3. Training activities for veterinarian students on how to measure AB at farm level and poultry farmers through a field trip to experience exchange with counterparts engaged in reducing AB use in La Reunion.

As practical recommendations, the results of the project can be used to support the implementation of the good practice guidelines among poultry farmers at national level and to mobilize the community of stakeholders for other activities contributing to the NAP-AMR.

Following the first French national action plan EcoAntibio (2012-2016), several French broiler companies started to communicate on their antibiotic reduction schemes. In the scope of the ROADMAP project, six interviews were conducted to understand how producers' organizations can commit to reduce their AB use in an economically sound way. The results of the interviews are:

- In France, the “raised without antibiotic treatment” labels are usually included in a broader labelling approach and farmers receive a price premium. However, it is hard to differentiate the bonus allocated to health from the bonus allocated to welfare or feed

- In the case of a less restrictive antimicrobial reduction scheme, there is generally little to no price premium on the product

- Stakeholders generally involve in an AB reduction scheme or a label since it is a technically feasible strategy to differentiate from competitors or to secure market sales

- Stakeholders from the poultry sector agree that there will not be a development of antibiotic-free claims in the near future since the market is mature

- A generalization of AB-free labels is often ruled out by stakeholders given the high health risks in conventional systems and the high price competition on poultry products at EU level

- Action plans implemented to reduce AB use have resulted in higher than expected results which is confirmed by the sharp decrease of AB use at national level following the first EcoAntibio plan



Practical recommendations include the importance of investment in biosecurity and building in reducing the AB use in conventional systems, the importance of farmers’ and technical advisors’ training and experience and the necessity of a high level of technicity.

Since the early 2010s, stakeholders of the French pig industry have developed AB free private standards to meet market demand, provide financial support and communicate on the efforts made by farmers. Within the ROADMAP project, an analysis of the AB free supply chains in the French pig sector has been conducted. According to the results of the survey:

- In the absence of a collective scheme, each retailer or meat processor has its own AB free line.

- Once there is compromise between the cooperatives and their clients on requirements, additional costs and bonus, the cooperatives offer some of their members that use less antibiotics to join the line.

- The farmer perceives a bonus of a variable amount depending on the constraints

- The farmers are controlled each year by the cooperative and 10% of them are audited by an independent control body

- AB free labels are a technically and economically feasible solution to reduce the use of antibiotics. However, the results of the survey shows that AB free market is considered mature today in French pig sector.



The practice abstract also gives practical recommendations such as the need to simplify the multiple claims for a better understanding by the consumer and to provide more freedom to pig producers, that could be achieved by promoting a legal definition of the “AB free” claim like "GMO free" and simplifying the pork market segmentation.

According to European statistics, Italy is in the group of EU countries with the highest antimicrobials use (AMU) in livestock farming and this may increase the risks to spread pathogens developing antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) in the environment and along the agri-food supply chain. This study’s aim is to identify the premium price that Italian consumers are willing to pay for poultry meat produced without the use of antibiotics. The survey results indicate that Italian consumers are willing to pay 14.6% more for broiler breast produced without the use of antibiotics and with improved animal welfare standards with respect to similar products not claiming these characteristics. The practice abstract also includes practical recommendations such as the importance of applying antibiotic-free labels and also provides on-farm application suggestions such as:

- Producers, processing companies and retailers should promote antibiotic-free supply chains,

- Veterinarians and public health operators should motivate a more prudent use of antimicrobials in animal production and increase awareness of farmers and supply chain operators regarding AMR risks;

- Technical assistance for farmers is necessary for guidance and promotion of improvements in animal welfare and biosecurity;

- Incentives to farm investments would support and enable such changes.