Abstract
Background: Relatively little is known about antibiotic use (ABU) on smallholdings in the UK compared to commercial farming. Due to differences in outlook, goals and farming methods, ABU practices and recommendations to improve antibiotic stewardship are likely to be different. I sought to explore facilitators and barriers to appropriate ABU on UK smallholdings to derive recommendations for improving antibiotic stewardship among this group.Methods: I used Participatory Epidemiology-inspired approaches to explore networks, structures and practices around ABU on smallholdings. This included a content analysis of smallholding print media; smallholding farm walks, ranking exercises – including Q method – and timelines; and semi-structured interviews with veterinarians.
Results: Facilitators to appropriate ABU discussed by smallholders and veterinarians included perceptions of ABU on smallholdings being low in comparison to commercial farms. Single animal treatments were seen to be the mainstay of ABU and smallholders aimed to avoid unnecessary ABU. Identified barriers to appropriate ABU included difficulties diagnosing the cause of clinical signs of disease, which often led to a first-line approach of ABU. Consideration of the most likely cause of clinical signs of disease – in terms of bacterial species – rarely appeared to determine the type of antibiotic used and antibiotics were frequently employed to prevent future infections. Further, ABU which was not supervised by a veterinarian appeared common. Reasons for non-veterinary-supervised ABU included fractures in the smallholder-veterinarian relationship, the cost of veterinary visits and a perceived slowness in receiving veterinary advice.
Conclusion: By considering these results, I have been able to suggest recommendations aimed at improving antibiotic stewardship. These include supporting veterinarians to undertake a logical thinking process for antibiotic-related decisions, thereby facilitating more informed antibiotic choices, along with adapting the provision of veterinary care to smallholders’ individual scenarios to encourage veterinary involvement in ABU on these holdings.
| Date of Award | 18 Jun 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Alex Tasker (Supervisor), Irene Bueno Padilla (Supervisor), Kristen K Reyher (Supervisor) & Henry J Buller (Supervisor) |