Samples taken in 2021 from healthy pigs and calves showed that resistance to antibiotics is stable or even decreasing,
Keystone / Nicola Pitaro
The amount of antibiotics sold for treatment of animals continued to fall last year, amid rising awareness of antibiotic resistance, according to the Swiss government.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystine-SDA/jc
Over a ten-year period it has more than halved from 60,000kg of antibiotics to 28,000kg in 2021, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) said on TuesdayExternal link. Last year the total quantity fell by about 2%, and that of critically important antibiotics by 7%.
Antibiotics are among the most important developments in medicine, allowing treatment of bacterial illnesses that were once fatal, the FSVO said. But inappropriate and excessive use has caused more and more bacteria to become resistant, with serious consequences for humans, animals, agriculture and the environment.
The FSVO says the continuing decline in antibiotic sales shows that “veterinarians and animal owners have developed high awareness of the problem”.
Samples taken in 2021 from healthy pigs and fattening calves showed that resistance is stable or even decreasing compared with 2019, according to the FSVO, which carries out regular analyses on animals.
Since 2019, vets have been required to declare why they prescribe antibiotics. In 2015 the Swiss government adopted a Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance (StAR) programme aimed at tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance in a coordinated way.
Switzerland to intensify border checks during sporting events
This content was published on
In the context of events including the European Football Championships and the summer Olympics, border security will be increased.
Integration of Credit Suisse into UBS now complete
This content was published on
Credit Suisse AG was formally integrated into UBS AG on Friday, with the former being subsequently deleted from Canton Zurich's commercial register.
This content was published on
The list of cities in the running as well as the requirements they need to meet have not been disclosed. A decision is to be made by the end of August.
UBS fined CHF50,000 for suspected money-laundering negligence
This content was published on
Switzerland’s finance ministry has fined UBS bank CHF50,000 after employees allegedly failed to report red flags of money laundering over several years.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Looming bacterial pandemic triggers debate over how to pay for new antibiotics
This content was published on
Few big pharmaceutical companies have a stake in new antibiotics research. Financial incentives could help, but they are controversial.
‘Last-resort’ antibiotics used widely to treat Swiss chickens
This content was published on
Millions of chickens on Swiss farms are treated with the types of antibiotics which, in human cases, are only used in exceptional cases.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.