Antibiotic governance and use on commercial and smallholder farms in eastern China

Introduction: China is one of the largest consumers of agricultural antibiotics
in the world. While the Chinese government has been tightening its regulations
to control antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from animal sources in recent years,
the extent of antimicrobial oversight and the practices of antibiotic use in animal
agriculture in China has not yet been explored. This study describes the practices
of antimicrobial management in eastern China and current scenarios of antibiotic
use in commercial farms and smallholder backyard farming.
Methods: 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted with government
agriculture o cials, veterinary drug sellers, farmers and smallholders in two
contrasting areas of rural Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, China. Interview
transcripts were analyzed in NVivo12 using a thematic approach.
Results: Findings revealed that although the governance of antibiotic use has
made progress, especially in controlling irrational antibiotic use in commercial
farms, smallholders are under-regulated due to a lack of resources and
assumptions about their marginal role as food safety governance targets. We also
found that smallholders resort to human antibiotics for the treatment of backyard
animals because of economic constraints and lack of access to professional
veterinary services.
Discussion: More attention needs to be devoted to the local structural needs
of farmers to reduce antibiotic misuse. Considering the extensive links of AMR
exposure under the One Health framework, e􀀀orts to integrate smallholders in
antibiotic governance are required to address the AMR burden systematically in
China.