The Danish government has brought in new legislation aimed at stepping up the country’s response to antibiotic resistance.

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On Friday 2nd November, the Danish Parliament agreed on strict new rules governing antibiotic use on animals. The new legislation comes after the country’s surveillance agency warned that antibiotic resistant bacteria is being discovered at high levels in domestic as well as imported meat.

Danish Food and Agriculture Minister, Mette Gjerskov, commented on Friday, “The new rules provide an incentive to make sure that medicine is given only to individual animals in need of treatment, and not to the entire herd as a matter of course. This is a significant step in the further reduction of the use of antimicrobials in farming. This is a very important part of the fight against antimicrobial resistance which is a serious threat to human health.”

The minister had previously called on European legislators to implement tougher restrictions on antibiotics use throughout the rest of the bloc, after studies conducted in Denmark suggested overuse of antibiotics elsewhere in Europe could be affecting levels of antibiotic resistance in Denmark, as live animals are traded between states.

Ms Gjerskov added, “Improved animal welfare is a cornerstone of the new agreement. We are obliged to take care of the animals we raise. We have agreed upon initiatives to improve welfare for animals and we have secured the provisions through strengthened inspections,”

The Danish agreement is an extension of previous rules covering animal welfare and the reduction of excessive antimicrobial use; the government claims to have adopted a “One-Health-perspective,” where animal and human health is seen as interconnected. The UK government’s Environmental Audit Committee, which evaluates cross-government progress on a range of issues has suggested policy in the UK should increasingly move towards a more joined-up approach, treating issues including healthcare, education and food as interrelated.

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