AVANT Workshop on Antibiotic-free pork production

2024 in Review: AVANT’s Milestones in Animal Health and the Reduction of Antimicrobials use for Pig Farming

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Antimicrobials resistance: Impacts, challenges, and future prospects

This year marked significant progress for the AVANT project in its mission  at developing alternatives to antimicrobials for the management of bacterial infections in pigs. As we close this chapter, we reflect on the key achievements and milestones of 2024 that reflect strong collaboration, scientific innovation, and dedication to testing the efficacy and sustainability of alternatives to antimicrobials for the management of pig enteritis, as this disease condition accounts for the majority of antimicrobials used in food animals.

2024 key achievements

During this year, AVANT has delivered numerous milestones, reflecting the project’s dedication to animal health and sustainable pig faming:

  • Assess clinical efficacy of selected AVANT interventions under field conditions: SEGES coordinated the activities and performs the farm trial in Denmark. Cooperl and Schothorst Feed Research perform the farm trials in France and Netherlands, respectively.
  • Environmental and Socio-economic Assessments: Early evaluations highlighted the reduction in antimicrobial use could be obtained in Europe by 2030.
  • Innovation and IP Frameworks: The consortium established IP and business frameworks to support long-term commercialization.

Workshop on “Antibiotic-free pork production”

On June 13th, the AVANT project organized a workshop in Heraklion, Crete. This hybrid AVANT workshop brought together around 90 participants to discuss the challenges and market potential of antibiotic-free pork production.

The AVANT workshop evaluated the feasibility of antibiotic-free farming as a strategy to reduce antibiotic use. Key topics of discussion included its viability, critical success factors, economic sustainability for producers, potential drawbacks, and strategies to foster consumer acceptance. The goal was to explore the benefits, challenges, and practical aspects of antibiotic-free pork production.

The AVANT consortium believes that “Antibiotic use should be minimized as much as possible while ensuring adequate animal health and welfare. Antibiotic-free production builds on existing best practices and offers a viable strategy to minimize antibiotic use in pig production. Clearly defining and promoting this production system – while addressing aspects of animal health protection – can help achieve the EU Farm-to-Fork Strategy’s goal of cutting overall EU sales of antimicrobials for livestock by 50% by 2030, without compromising animal welfare or the economic sustainability of pig farming”.

AVANT also showcased its achievements at key scientific events, including the 3rd International Conference Antimicrobial Resistance – current state and perspectives,  the European Researcher’s Night and  the 17th International Symposium on Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics.

Looking Ahead

As AVANT enters 2025, priorities will focus on the finalization of the project. Key upcoming milestones include several scientific publications, the quantification of the potential benefits on antimicrobial consumption at farm and EU levels derived from large-scale adoption of the AVANT interventions.

Season’s Greetings

From all of us at AVANT, we wish you a joyful holiday season and a sustainable new year!

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