Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed on the updating of the criteria used in the assessment of bacteria for resistance to antibiotics of human or veterinary importance

The emergence and the spread of resistance to antimicrobials in bacteria pose a threat to human and animal health and present a major financial cost. In an effort to decrease the development of resistance various actions have been taken at Community level, including the removal of all antibiotics used for growth promotion purposes from animal feed in 2006. With this objective, the Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition (SCAN) adopted an opinion in July 2001 defining the criteria used to assess the presence or absence of resistance determinants to antibiotics in microbial feed additives.