Solutions limiting the use of antibiotics in poultry production in Poland and other European Union countries

The widespread occurrence of drug resistance among bacteria around the world poses a serious threat to the health and life of humans and animals. One of the global strategies adopted is the jointly developed ‘One Health – from farm to fork’ concept, within which measures are implemented to completely eliminate the use of antibiotics in animal production.The aim of this review article is to present the latest statistical data on the use of antibiotics in farm animals, with special focus on poultry, on the basis of EVSAC (European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption) reports. The article also presents measures making it possible to reduce the use of antibiotics in poultry farming, including biosecurity schemes proposed by European public health associations, as well as other solutions involving diet modification, prevention programmes, and other programmes for managing poultry flocks, including the results of our own research.The final conclusions indicate the need to introduce obligatory reporting of the use of antibiotics in animal production by all countries in the world, not only in Europe. In addition, there is a need to implement monitoring procedures, effective biosecurity, changes in management, and educational activities associated with multiple areas of the economy for various social groups, such as food producers and breeders, to raise awareness of the threats arising from the use of antibiotics.