project - Research and innovation
Sheep Antimicrobial Usage Tool - benchmarking sheep
Sheep Antimicrobial Usage Tool - benchmarking sheep
Objectives
Animal welfare is paramount. Where an animal has been diagnosed with a bacterial infection it is vital they receive the appropriate antibiotic treatment. When interpreting benchmarking data, it is essential to focus on encouraging responsible antibiotic use. Flock health planning and strategies to prevent disease are key to reducing the need to administer antibiotics and improving health and welfare on the farm.
The Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group, a sub group of the Sheep Health and Welfare Group (SHAWG), consulted with sheep industry stakeholders and academics to develop a core set of standard metrics for benchmarking antibiotic use on UK sheep farms.
Objectives
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Additional information
Farm benchmarking refers to the comparison of a farm’s antibiotic usage with previous years and similar enterprises in the region/country, with the following benefits:
• It allows farmers to understand their level of antibiotic use and how this is changing over time and relative to the industry
• It stimulates conversations between vets and farmers with the aim of encouraging the consideration of management practices that drive responsible use of medicines
The SHAWG calculator (a Sheep Antimicrobial Usage Tool) provides an estimation of antimicrobial usage on sheep farms using Sheep Health & Welfare Group (SHAWG) core metrics.
Project details
- Main funding source
- Other public (national, regional) research funds
Project keyword
Contacts
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
Project coordinator
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Project coordinator