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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1375127
This article is part of the Research Topic Veterinary Public Health: Veterinary Medicine’s Current Challenges in a Globalised World View all 7 articles

Voluntary optimisation of antimicrobial consumption in swine and poultry production in Thailand: a policy analysis

Provisionally accepted
Angkana Lekagul Angkana Lekagul 1*Supapat Kirivan Supapat Kirivan 2Wanwisa Kaewkhankhaeng Wanwisa Kaewkhankhaeng 2Saowapa Kotchalai Saowapa Kotchalai 2Rodolphe Mader Rodolphe Mader 3Viroj Tangcharoensathien Viroj Tangcharoensathien 2
  • 1 Ministry of Public Health, International Health Policy Program, Nonthaburi, Thailand
  • 2 International Health Policy Program, Nonthaburi, Thailand
  • 3 International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions, Copenhagen, Denmark

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concern with significant implications on economies and health security, affecting humans, animals, food, and the environment. To tackle this issue, promoting responsible antimicrobial use in livestock production has emerged as a crucial intervention. In 2018, Thailand introduced the Voluntary Optimization of Antimicrobial Consumption (VOAC) programme, with the objective to encourage responsible antimicrobial use practices. This study aimed to analyse the context, content, process and actors of the VOAC programme. A qualitative method including document reviews and key informant interviews were applied. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 key informants who are key stakeholders from public and private sectors involved in the policy formulation, design of policy contents and implementation of VOAC: policy makers or officers responsible for animal health (n=12), animal producers (n=2), animal product traders or retailers (n=2), and farm veterinarians (n=2). Interview transcripts were validated by informants for accuracy, and triangulated with document review findings.Deductive approach was applied for data analysis and interpretation based on Walt and Gilson's policy analysis framework.The VOAC farm certification comprises of Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA) and Reducing Antibiotic Use (RAU), both aiming to combat AMR in food animals. Global and national factors, including increased public awareness, policy commitments, export requirements from the European Union, and international organisation advocacies, influenced the development of the programme led by the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Collaboration with the private sector facilitated policy clarity, with implementation primarily executed through regional, provincial, and district livestock officers. Integration of the programme with the pre-existing Good

    Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), AMR, Poultry, pig, antimicrobial, antibiotic

    Received: 23 Jan 2024; Accepted: 27 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lekagul, Kirivan, Kaewkhankhaeng, Kotchalai, Mader and Tangcharoensathien. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Angkana Lekagul, Ministry of Public Health, International Health Policy Program, Nonthaburi, Thailand

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