Topic 4: Responsible use of antibiotics

De Heus has a prominent role in the food value chain and acknowledges the importance of using antibiotics responsibly in order to sustain the long term efficacy of antibiotics in treating human and animal diseases while assuring the principle of animal health and welfare. Our ambition is to use antibiotics only for curative use to maintain the principle of animal health and welfare. Antibiotics, in feed or on farm, must be prescribed by an authorized veterinarian. Additionally, De Heus will not use any critical antibiotics (as stated by WHO Class 1 and 2) curatively in our (feed) products.

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Less antibiotics, more impact

Antimicrobial resistance has grown significantly in recent decades. According to the WHO, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers responsible for the growth of antimicrobial resistance. More and more countries have therefore been adopting legislation to intervene in the use of antibiotics in livestock and aquaculture farming. At the same time, actors throughout the value chain are raising their standards for animal protein produced with fewer antibiotics and higher animal welfare. With our feed products, we contribute to animal health and, as such, also the reduction in the use of antibiotics. Productivity and sustainability are often seen as mutually exclusive, but there is an important connection: animal health. We therefore help farmers boost their farm’s performance and efficiency, ultimately leading to better economic results supporting the prudent use of antibiotics. This is also why we aim to stop using antibiotics on a preventive basis worldwide.

Supports animal health to reduce antibiotic use
Boosts farm performance through sustainable nutrition

Our Green Goal

Our company goals are aligned with the European legislation on responsible use of antibiotics, such that antibiotics are only used curatively to maintain the principle of animal health and welfare and the use must be prescribed by an authorized veterinarian.

In countries where legislation deviates from the European legislation, or where no legislation or no industry standards are established, we proactively work with our customers, chain partners, industry stakeholders and authorities to collectively aim by 2030 (or following earlier legislation):

ban the use of any critically antibiotics (as stated by WHO)
to promote antibiotic-free (finisher) products to our customers

Additionally, in these countries, any other antibiotics in our (feed) products are only used when prescribed by an authorized veterinarian to maintain the principle of animal health and welfare.