Data-driven surveillance guides responsible antibiotic use in Danish livestock production
Antibiotic resistance is rising globally, threatening public health, animal welfare, and sustainable food systems. To preserve the effectiveness of existing treatments, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use in livestock is essential. To address this challenge, a research group at the University of Copenhagen is developing innovative solutions to reduce reliance on antibiotics in the veterinary sector.
Across the world, the overuse of antibiotics in livestock production contributes to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, AMR, where standard treatments become ineffective in both animals and humans. In Europe alone, AMR is responsible for an estimated 35,000 deaths of people each year and is ranked among the top four health threats by the European Commission.
Understanding how antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread is key to developing targeted strategies. The main transmission routes for resistant bacteria are foodborne exposure, direct contact between animals and humans, and environmental contamination. Global differences in food safety standards and thereby foodborne transmissions underscore the need for context-specific strategies to effectively combat AMR.
Science-based tools improve diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections in livestock
Denmark was the first European country to implement DANMAP – a fully integrated surveillance system that monitors antibiotic use and resistance, as well as the effects of regulatory measures, across animals, food and humans. Established by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Danish Ministry of Health in 1995, DANMAP has become one of the most effective systems against AMR globally.
To address the need for further reductions in antibiotic use, Denmark is advancing new solutions through the One Health Antimicrobial Resistance (OHAR) group led by Professor Luca Guardabassi at the University of Copenhagen. The OHAR group conduct research on development of solutions to improve the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections in animals, using a One Health approach that recognises the connection between human, animal and environmental health. The group has two strategic objectives: to develop diagnostic tools and methods that provide rapid, cost-effective guidance for antibiotic prescription in animals, and to optimise the use of antibiotics to minimise the selection and spread of AMR.
Collaborative efforts offer measurable impact
As part of this research effort, Professor Luca Guardabassi has coordinated a 5-year (2020–2025) EU project on alternatives to veterinary antimicrobials (AVANT). With a budget of EUR 6 million and 14 research institutions across 10 EU countries, the AVANT project has developed and tested a variety of practical solutions to keep pigs healthy without relying on antibiotics. The work has focused primarily on preventing diarrhoea, the leading indication for antibiotic use in Danish pig production. The results show that no single intervention is enough to significantly reduce antibiotic use by itself. For example, high-fibre diets are simple to introduce but have only a modest effect on their own. Faecal transplantation, where healthy gut bacteria from one pig are given to another, proved much more effective at preventing diarrhoea in piglets. However, the use of this promising method in food-producing animals is currently limited by EU regulations.
According to projections to 2035, faecal transplantation and high-fibre diets could reduce antibiotic use in European pig farming by around 2% when widely applied. Even greater reductions are possible when these dietary strategies are combined with vaccination programmes, which in some cases completely removed the need for antibiotics on farms. The findings support EU’s target to cut antibiotic use in animals by 20% by 2030 and highlight how Denmark’s long-standing collaboration between the veterinary, medical and agricultural sectors continue to advance science-based solutions. The AVANT project reinforces Denmark’s role as a model for research-driven approaches to reduce AMR in livestock production.
