The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) has discovered Livestock-Associated MRSA (antibiotic resistant bacteria) in poultry on a farm in East Anglia.

Livestock associated – or LA – MRSA is not the same as the bacteria that cause infections in people, though the discovery will increase the urgency of the debate over the misuse of antibiotics in human medicine and farming. It is the first discovery of MRSA in poultry in the UK.

Although the farm in Norfolk has not been named, a BBC source said that turkeys at the premises were found to be infected and that many had already been sold to retailers.  

MRSA was first discovered on a UK farm in 2011, when scientists discovered a new strain of the 'superbug' in milk.  

Earlier in the month, scientists called for immediate action to address the irresponsible and over-use of antibiotics over fears that this is contributing to growing resistance. The scientists' calls followed the publication of a report in medical journal ­Lancet Infectious Diseases. The report was amongst the first to make the link between antibiotic resistance in agriculture and that seen in human medicine.

The paper's authors demanded a holistic approach to the issue. They said, "A way forward would be to acknowledge that human health, animal health, and the environment are all interlinked, and that the responsibility for dealing with the problems of resistance is shared by all stakeholders."

Commenting on the discovery of MRSA at the poultry farm, Professor Angela Kearns, Head of the Staphylococcus Reference service at Public Health England said, "This strain of bacteria is relatively widespread in livestock in Europe, including countries from which meat is regularly sourced by the UK." However, she offered the consolation that, "There are no known cases of people contracting MRSA from eating meat."

Even so, livestock associated MRSA can potentially pass from animals to humans through direct contact or through dust in animal housing and is therefore primarily an occupational risk for those in contact with affected livestock.

The Department of health said in a statement on Tuesday that, "Once the poultry have been slaughtered and sold the owner will carry out cleansing and disinfection of their accommodation to ensure the next birds do not become colonised when they arrive on site." The Department added that AHVLA officials will revisit the farm to test for the presence of MRSA.

Professor Peter Borriello, Chief Executive of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, said, "LA-MRSA has been identified in livestock in a number of countries and is not considered to represent a significant risk to animal health and welfare. We conduct an extensive programme to monitor antibiotic resistance in bacteria from animals, through samples submitted to AHVLA regional laboratories. We carefully consider all cases of resistance identified to establish if these present any risk to human or animal health."

The latest figures from the VMD show that antibiotic use by sales remained virtually unchanged in 2012 compared to the five year average. Use on pigs and poultry accounts for 86 percent of antibiotics use on farm animals.