Instant Insights: Reducing antibiotic use in dairy production

This collection features three peer-reviewed literature reviews on reducing antibiotic use in dairy production.

The first chapter describes the regulatory control of medicines in the United Kingdom and European Union and discusses the wider implications of antimicrobial use in dairy production and the need for change in the way we view and use medicines. The chapter also proposes how medicine prescribing practices in the dairy industry may undergo a series of changes in the near future.

The second chapter considers recent advances of disease prevention in dairy cattle. Using bovine respiratory disease as a model, the chapter investigates key interactions between the host, environment and pathogen. These interactions can provide beneficial information that can be utilised to develop a prevention platform for multiple syndromes of bacterial disease in dairy cattle.

The final chapter begins by assessing the need to promote digestive efficiency and productivity whilst maintaining animal health and welfare. It considers the role of probiotics in achieving this and reviews the range of research undertaken on the benefits and modes of action of probiotics. The chapter also details the role of probiotics in reducing antibiotic use in dairy production through improvements in areas such as pathogen control, feed efficiency and methane production.