Observational analysis highlights the importance of education on antimicrobial resistance in dairy farms, suggesting improvements in evidence-based practices.
Background Changing legislation regarding antimicrobial consumption (AMC) forces Flemish bovine veterinary practitioners (BVP) to rethink their business models and shift their on‐farm practices from curative to preventive. However, little is known about their current practices and opinions regarding antibiotic stewardship, mastitis treatment and bacteriological culturing (BC) of milk samples, or how they envision their current and future roles on dairy farms. Methods An online questionnaire including 58 questions regarding demographics, udder health monitoring services (UHMS) and opinion on AMC, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and BC of milk was distributed among BVP. Responses were categorised by age, sex and years in practice and statistically compared. Results Forty BVP completed the questionnaire. Although 37 BVP (92.5%) hold great value to their UHMS, we demonstrate room for improvement in the visit frequency and content. Younger and early career BVP tend to be more aware of AMC, AMR and BC of milk. Limitations Due to the limited participation rate, caution is required when extrapolating the findings of this study. Conclusion Ongoing education and support are needed to tackle challenges and boost BVP’ skills and motivation regarding UHMS and AMC in Flanders in order to achieve more evidence‐based and preventive practices regarding udder health.
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Creytens et al. (2025) studied this question.
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