Horse meat may aid resistance
The Soil Association has called for a ban on the importation of Founderguard, a horse feed additive that contains an antibiotic called virginiamycin.
Despite never undergoing full safety tests nor ever being approved for veterinary use in the UK, Founderguard is still imported from Australia – something the government has allowed for more than a decade.
It is also related to the drug Synercid, used to treat humans for life-threatening infections in hospitals, such as MRSA. This has led to concerns regarding resistance following the discovery of horse meat in the food system.
As a result, the Soil Association have called on the government to prevent the importation of Founderguard, so that it is no longer used in horse feed. This will effectively stop the active ingredient virginiamycin entering the human food chain.
The association's most recent figures found that about 10 tonnes of Founderguard was being imported annually.
Furthermore, the Veterinary Medicine's Directorate (VMD) released a statement in 2012 that said: "There is no robust evidence to suggest that the continued use of virginiamycin will not pose a risk in terms of antimicrobial resistance developing."
The horse meat scandal has highlighted the urgency needed in addressing the use of virginiamycin in horse feed, according the the Soil Association. However the government has no plans to prevent importations over the next 18 months.
As such, the association's policy adviser, Richard Young, has written a letter to the VMD's CEO.
It reads: "Since the transfer of resistant bacteria from horses to humans on food is clearly also possible where horse meat is consumed, we feel that the VMD should revise its timetable and prohibit any future importation of virginamycin with immediate effect."
Mr Young's letter also stated that the VMD should make "strenuous efforts" to ensure that none of the horses that continue to receive virginiamycin in feed while stocks are used up are permitted to enter the food chain.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
