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Animal welfare policy and commitments

Food Safety Policy

Environmental Enrichment Guidelines

Antimicrobial Usage Policy

Waste & Emissions Policy

Antimicrobials Usage Policy

Interchick is committed to the prudent use of antimicrobials to minimise the risk of pathogens in the production chain, with the goal of antibiotic-free production.

This document also serves as Interchick’s commitment to follow national strategies for prudent antimicrobial use in veterinary services, and to ensure compliance with international, national and local regulations:

  • The Animal Diseases Act 2003
  • The Veterinary Act 2003
  • Meat Industry Act 2006.
  • The Standards Act (No.2 OF 2009)
  • The National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2023 -2028
  • The OIE Terrestrial animal health code, Chapter 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.10 and 6.11
  • The WHO Guidelines on Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food Producing Animals (Policy Brief November 2017)

Policy Statement

The purpose of this policy is to outline Interchick’s approach to antimicrobial usage in all areas of live production, through prudent use of antimicrobials. This policy shall apply to all Interchick operations, including farms, hatcheries and the processing plant.

Scope

This policy shall apply to all Interchick operations including farms, hatcheries and the processing plant.

Definition Of Terms

Veterinarian

An Interchick Veterinary surgeon who is duly registered and retained by the Veterinary Council of Tanzania VCT

Antibiotic

Substances developed to make medicines that either destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria in human or animal treatments

Antimicrobial

All agents, whether of biological origin, semisynthetic or synthetic that act in vivo against all types of microorganisms.

Antimicrobial resistance

Development of tolerance by microorganisms to levels of antimicrobials that would normally inhibit or kill them. This does not include pre-existing natural susceptibility of specific pathogens.

Veterinary Prescription

A prescription issued by an Interchick veterinary surgeon for dispensation and administration of POMV

POMV

Prescription Only Medicines-Veterinary (POMV) as outlined in the Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Paraprofessionals Act: Drug schedules.

Antimicrobial residue

Metabolites of antimicrobials found in edible portions of food more than the maximum residue limits set by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards.

Prophylaxis

The administration of a product ahead of exposure, in anticipation of possible infection.

Metaphylaxis

The administration of the product to clinically healthy (including presumed infected) animals in-contact with sick animals, to prevent them from developing clinical signs, and to prevent further spread of the disease.

Goals

  • To maintain the use of antibiotics only when necessary, and to avoid prophylactic use.
  • To avoid the use of critically important antibiotics that are essential in life threatening infections in humans as stipulated by the World Health Organisation.
  • To reduce the need for antibiotics through progressive disease prevention practices such as good biosecurity, vaccinations, good management practices as well as using integrated disease control programmes in the production chain.
  • To reduce the development of antimicrobial resistance in our production chain.

Policy Principles

Antimicrobial Stocking

Only antimicrobials that have been licenced by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate should be stocked. Licences and other necessary documentations should be kept by the Company Veterinarian.

Prescription of antimicrobials

The prescription and dispensation of antimicrobials must be justified by a veterinary diagnosis, followed by sensitivity testing where possible to determine choice of antimicrobial where possible.

Priority will be given to use of the most-narrow spectrum antibiotics after sensitivity tests and similar efficacy trials for other antimicrobials.

Antimicrobials are only used under the prescription of an Interchick veterinarian, duly registered and retained by the Tanzania Veterinary Board.

The use of critically important antimicrobials is avoided since these are critical for use in life-threatening infections in humans.

Routine use of medically important antibiotics for prevention of disease is not permitted.

Laboratory testing

Interchick carries out sensitivity testing for cases to enable and inform current and future antimicrobial use.

 

Antibiotic prescription on our farms and contracted farms shall only be done after culture and Sensitivity.

Collection of antimicrobials

Veterinary prescription required.

Administration of antimicrobials

Recorded and records kept for review.

Antimicrobial therapy or metaphylaxis should never replace good management practices- where possible, sick birds to be isolated and treated to minimize shedding and infecting the healthy flock.

Antimicrobials must be administered to the chicken according to the veterinarian’s prescription.

Antiparasitic use shall follow O.I.E guidelines with a focus on frequent rotation to limit chances of resistance.

    Routine prophylaxis is prohibited.

Withdrawal period of antimicrobials

To be observed strictly as per veterinary prescription.

Antimicrobial residue tests, where indicated, shall be done for flocks on medication.

Storage of antimicrobials on farms or hatchery

Veterinary prescription required and records of storage to be kept for review.

Disinfectants and Detergents

Their use shall be guided by company cleaning and disinfection protocols and will be based on laboratory efficacy trials and frequent post clean-down environmental swabs.

Feed Additives and Coccidiostats

No use of antibiotic growth promoters and other banned additives in our feeds

Continued use of Ionophores and Coccidiostats is permissible, subject to the VSVP Act Regulations. Whenever used, a clear rotation programme shall be in place.

Responsibilities

  • Veterinarian: to select products and prescriptions based on clinical diagnosis and experience; to provide accurate information to the person administering the antimicrobial; to monitor and advise on antimicrobial usage within the production chain.
  • Farmer/Farm Manager: to ensure safety of the food production chain by administering antimicrobials in accordance with the prescription; to cooperate with the veterinarian to implement disease prevention measures. They must be aware of the essential requirements for the prudent use of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance, including the need to take samples for analysis and sensitivity testing.
  • Hatcheries: the injection of antimicrobials into eggs and or day-old chicks is avoided through focusing on good hatchery hygiene and good management of day-old chick production through temperature control and hygiene.
  • Feed manufacturer:  the manufacturer of feed may only produce medicated feed on a veterinarian’s prescription. Medicated feed must be appropriately labeled and only supplied to the end-user with the prescription.

Enforcement

Enforcement of antimicrobial usage will be carried out through audits and where indicated, antimicrobial residue testing.

Contravention of Interchick antimicrobial usage policy will result in punitive action for the parties concerned, in accordance with relevant company procedures.