The third largest producer of turkey meat in Europe is France, producing 355 000 tons of turkey meat in 2018. Unfortunately, as turkeys are very susceptible to various diseases in general, the antibiotic usage in conventional farms is still high. Intestinal disorders are a primary cause of antibiotic treatments, consisting of 60% of the total use. Average mortality in French turkey farms ranges from 5 to 9.8%. Consequently, we could conclude a turkey is treated with antibiotics during 10% of its lifetime, responsible for quite some antibiotic resistance. A very high resistance (50-70%) for E. Coli to tetracycline and ampicillin, is noticed. Resistance for E. Coli to trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole is high (20-50% of strains are resistant). Low resistance of E. Coli (1-10%) for cefotaxime, ceftazidime and colistin is observed (AMR report EFSA, 2018).
Nevertheless, pushed by those antibiotic resistance numbers and customer demands, 11.7% of turkey farms is using a zero-antibiotic strategy. Establishing such a policy on farm requires cooperation at different levels. An active involvement of and cooperation in between the farmer, the veterinarian, the feed company (nutritionist) and suppliers of alternative solutions is needed. Implementation of different solutions and tools such as vaccination, health supplements in feed and via drinking water, change in management and housing and correct biosecurity measures can contribute to this zero-antibiotic policy.
Polish Veterinarian and turkey breeder Paweł Glinkowski has a full integration on farm: he has his own feed production, slaughterhouse, and processing plant. Together with his family, he has been running a poultry company for over 50 years and breeding slaughter turkeys for about 20 years.
“Recently, the biggest challenges include rising production costs and the pressure to reduce antibiotics and improve welfare. We are all struggling with big problems from the feed and meat markets”, he says. “That is why we started the cooperation with Kemin because of the high quality of their products and their innovative solutions. This enables us to increase the efficiency of our production.”
So what is his approach to antibiotic reduction? Pawel explains: “In the first period of rearing, I use ButiPEARLTM, an additive agent that allows us to maintain the integrity of the intestines as well as maintaining good rearing conditions, including low litter moisture and low feed consumption.”
Learn more about his approach in the turkey farm in his full testimonial:
Feel free to explore more about the strides being made in antibiotic-free turkey production and how it’s shaping the landscape of sustainable agriculture in Europe. If you’re keen to understand the intricacies of antibiotic resistance mitigation and its impacts, the article below offers valuable insights from a peer-reviewed perspective.
Or download our poster presented at the AMCRA symposium “Antimicrobial resistance: a challenge for public health, animal health and environment”, presented on 27 June in Brussels, Belgium.
