RUMA has published a position statement on the preventive use of antibiotics in farm animals on its website ruma.org.uk.

RUMA Secretary General John FitzGerald said the Alliance had developed the position statement to clarify how antibiotics are used in farm animals. He said the statement also sets out how antibiotics can be used responsibly and preventively in farm animals to help animal health and welfare.

The RUMA statement has been developed with the aim of helping the debate on how the European legislation should be amended to help control antimicrobial resistance. RUMA has already sent a paper to the European Commission urging any decisions on new controls to be based on scientific evidence and to be proportionate to the risk to human medicine from the use of antibiotics in animals.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. RUMA is an alliance of organisations representing every stage of the “farm to fork” process which aims to promote a co-ordinated and integrated approach to best practice in the use of medicines on farm. A full list of RUMA members is at paragraph 4 below. For further information contact RUMA Secretary General John FitzGerald (rumasec@btinternet.com) or see the RUMA website www.ruma.org.uk
2. The RUMA Position Statement on the Preventive Use of Antibiotics in Farm Animals can be accessed via this link
3. RUMA’s paper to the European Commission on Antimicrobial Use in veterinary Medicine can be accessed via this link
4. RUMA’s members are:
   • Agricultural Industries Confederation
   • Animal Health Distributors Association
   • Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority
   • BPEX and EBLEX
   • British Egg Industry Council
   • British Poultry Council
   • British Retail Consortium
   • British Veterinary Association
   • City and Guilds
   • DairyCo
   • Dairy UK
   • Game Farmers’ Association
   • LEAF
   • National Beef Association
   • National Farmers’ Union
   • National Office of Animal Health
   • National Pig Association
   • National Sheep Association
   • NFU Scotland
   • Red Tractor Assurance
   • Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers
   • RSPCA
   • Royal Pharmaceutical Society

   Observers

   • Food Standards Agency
   • Veterinary Medicines Directorate