Pig industry responds to antibiotics use criticism

The UK pig industry has hit back at criticism over its use of antibiotics, following an investigation by animal rights groups which linked major food retailers to pork allegedly contaminated with drug-resistant salmonella.

Animal Justice Project and AGtivist said government data 0n salmonella-positive samples from pork products and carcasses processed by Karro Foods, Cranswick, and Finnebrogue, obtained from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland showed around 60% of the samples were resistant to one or more antibiotics.

The groups claimed this so-called “contaminated” meat was found in supply chains of Asda, Aldi, M&S and Booker (part of the Tesco group).

See also: 6 ways to manage antibiotics usage in pigs

They also released undercover footage from Northern Ireland pig farms, alleging filthy, overcrowded sheds and neglect.

Commenting on the footage, Dr Alice Brough, an ex-industry pig veterinarian, said the routine misuse of antibiotics “is fuelling antimicrobial resistance and threatening human and environmental health”.

However, the Food Industry Initiative on Antibiotics (FIIA), which represents Asda, Aldi, Cranswick, Sofina – owners of Karro and Finnebrogue – and Tesco, said the data had been misreprented and defended the pig industry’s record on antibiotics use.

‘Very small dataset’ – FIIA

A spokesman for the FIIA said: “The groups promoting this story requested only salmonella-positive results, meaning they received a small sample from tens of thousands of annual tests on products and animals.

“Around half the samples show some antibiotic resistance, which reflects trends seen in both animal and human medicine, as resistance becomes a growing challenge.

“However, long-standing food hygiene rules – like proper storage, preparation, and cooking – continue to effectively protect human health from bacteria such as salmonella.”

The spokesman also highlighted UK farming’s global leadership in responsible antibiotic use, with a 60% reduction since 2014, and noted: “AFBI data already contributes to annual government reports showing falling resistance levels.

“It’s disappointing to see this data and our strong surveillance systems misrepresented.”

NPA response

Lizzie Wilson, chief executive of the National Pig Association, told Farmers Weekly that the UK pig sector’s achievements in reducing usage of antibiotics, particularly those of importance to human medicine, has been widely praised and is seen as a success story. 

“It has pioneered a number of initiatives to demonstrate its commitment to and facilitate the proactive reduction in antibiotic use,” she said.

“As such, use of antibiotics has decreased by 69% over a nine-year period – from 278mg/kg for every population-corrected unit [PCU] in 2015 to 85mg/kg PCU in 2023 – despite numerous disease challenges on farms.

“Furthermore, the use of Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotics is negligible and continues to decline.”

The Food Standards Agency said the risk to public health is “considered low when proper food handling and cooking practices are followed”.