Inspection reveals illegal use of antibiotics in pig barns – veterinarians are also involved.

Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics is the main driving force behind resistant bacteria, which are a growing health problem for both animals and humans. Nevertheless, piglets in many Danish pig farms receive antibiotics almost from the time they are born—even though routinely administering antibiotics is illegal. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has just published a long-awaited report containing figures from an inspection campaign in 2024, during which 50 pig farms were examined. All had been selected because they had a high level of antibiotic use. At 22 of them—44 percent—more than 95 percent of the piglets were treated with antibiotics during their first week of life. At 11 of the 50 farms, corresponding to 22 percent, antibiotics were used routinely. At a further five pig farms, between 51 and 95 percent of the piglets received antibiotics during their first week of life. At the remaining 23 farms, fewer than half did so. The most common diagnoses were joint inflammation, diarrhea and navel infections. **“An unfortunate trend”** According to the rules, antibiotics may not be used to compensate for poor hygiene, inadequate animal housing, insufficient care of the animals or poor management of the herd. Preventive treatment is permitted only in special cases. This applies to an individual animal or a limited number of animals when the risk of infection is very high and the consequences are likely to be serious. “It is critical that almost all piglets at nearly half of the farms inspected in 2024 were treated with antibiotics so early in life. This very early start to antibiotic treatment is an unfortunate trend that farm owners and veterinarians have a responsibility to change. This can be done, among other things, by improving management practices for the youngest age groups on the farms,” says Christian Strøyer, head of unit at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, in a press release. At 34 percent of the pig farms, the veterinarian’s instructions were not followed. At 20 percent, medication records were incomplete or entirely absent. At 4 percent, prescription medicines were stored in violation of the rules after the prescribed treatment period had ended. The authorities also inspected 50 veal farms and 40 veterinarians. The veal farms had likewise been selected because of high antibiotic use, while the veterinarians were associated with the selected farms. **Veterinarians also received reprimands** The agency also found problems among the veterinarians. Of the 20 pig veterinarians inspected, 11—corresponding to 55 percent—received reprimands. In half of the inspections, the veterinarian had used medicines contrary to their marketing authorization, meaning in a way other than that for which the medicine had been approved. In 30 percent of the cases, the agency found violations of the rules on prophylactic use—that is, the animals were given antibiotics preventively before any symptoms of illness appeared. In 30 percent of the cases, there were also violations of the ban on routine use. In 25 percent, the veterinarians’ herd diagnoses did not meet the requirements, and in 15 percent, the reports following advisory visits were incomplete. The situation was different on the veal farms. There, the medication rules were largely followed, and the agency issued only two reprimands. By comparison, reprimands were issued in 22 of the 50 inspections at pig farms, corresponding to 44 percent. Some farms received more than one. Among the 20 cattle veterinarians, seven received reprimands, corresponding to 35 percent. The political target was to reduce antibiotic use in pigs by 8 percent between 2019 and 2022 compared with 2018, but the target was not met. The deadline was subsequently postponed until the end of 2027. Diseases associated with resistance claim the lives of approximately 1.27 million people worldwide every year. **Reported by Information in May** The report’s findings have been known for months, even though the report has only now been published. In May, the newspaper Information reported on the figures after gaining access to the agency’s inspection report. At the time, Nicolai Rosager Weber, head of department at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council’s Health & Veterinary Data division, told Information that “the industry condemns any violation of the rules—both by producers and practicing veterinarians.” Mette Rørbæk Gantzhorn, chair of the Danish Veterinary Association, told Information on the same occasion, among other things: “It is not in accordance with the rules and is in no way optimal—but as long as the rules permit a form of production that is so demanding that the animals become ill from being in it, it will be difficult to avoid this entirely.” In the report, the agency writes that it was delayed because of the “parliamentary situation during and after the 2026 general election.”