The Free Democratic Party in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia has called for increased labelling on meat products; the party wants to see a label introduced for products from animals reared without the use of prophylactic antibiotics, which it hopes would create the same consumer response as the labelling of free range eggs had on sales of eggs produced in cages.

The calls were made amid widespread fears over antibiotic resistance in bacteria, which has prompted action at European level and in several EU member states. Last year, the commission introduced a 12 point plan aimed at combating antibiotic resistance, which included cracking down on the misuse of drugs in the medical and farming professions.

Stefan Romberg, a spokesperson for the FDP, said the label would enable consumers to choose for themselves whether they wished to opt for antibiotic-free meat, a move the party is confident would result in a reduction in sales of meat produced using the drugs and, as a result, reduce the use of antibiotics on farms.

The German pig producers’ association ISN said the proposed measures would not work; it dismissed the FDP’s calls as a populist appeal which would not address the problem of antibiotic resistance. Echoing the sentiments of industry bodies throughout Europe who have proven reluctant to cut down on antibiotics use, ISN said producers need to use antibiotics “as little as possible, but as much as necessary.”

Nevertheless, the FDP asked the North Rhine–Westphalia government to launch a national initiative as soon as possible to create the ‘antibiotic-free’ label. The party also called for greater transparency over the use of medications in food production, including publishing a list of prophylactic antibiotics users on the government’s consumer affairs website.

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