This is a direct translation from the original article found on MyNewsDesk website 

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) participates in the launch of the manual “Prudent and efficient use of antimicrobials in pigs and poultry”, which aims to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry.

The work on writing the manual is an assignment from FAO to SLU where professors Susanna Sternberg-Lewerin and Ulf Magnusson have led a working group with about ten international experts, including Swedish expertise from the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the Swedish Veterinary Medical Administration (SVA).

- The manual is about how, by preventing diseases, you can reduce the need for antibiotics in animal husbandry, says Professor Ulf Magnusson, who was in Rome to present the manual. We have focused on poultry and pig breeding as it is where most antibiotics are used globally.

The launch took place at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FAO headquarters in Rome. Also included was Sweden's ambassador to Italy, representatives from the Ministry of Industry, FAO's Deputy Director General and Chief Veterinarian. The launch is part of World Antibiotics Awareness Week which is now underway.

The fact that SLU and Sweden have the confidence to lead the work on developing such a manual is because Sweden is a world leader in using small quantities of antibiotics and at the same time keeping healthy and highly productive animals, according to Ulf Magnusson.

The manual is not just about disease prevention but also how to reduce antibiotic use through medically rational use. This includes not giving antibiotics for growth promotion, treating sick animals individually and avoiding antibiotics that are critical to human medicine.

The manual is currently only available in English but will be translated into all FAO official languages ​​as the interest has become so large. 

The manual can be downloaded here: http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca6729en/  Contact: Professor Ulf Magnusson, SLU tel 070-977 08 55