The measures aim to reduce the use of critical antibiotics important for public health in food-producing animals. To this end, rules are imposed for the prescription, provision and administration of such medicines for veterinary use.

Draft Decree amending the Royal Decree of 21 July 2016 on conditions for the use of medicines by veterinarians and by persons responsible for animals

The draft Royal Decree contains specific rules for the prescription, provision and administration of critically important antibiotics, as listed in the Annex to the Decree, by veterinarians for metaphylactic and curative treatment in food-producing animals:

- condition of carrying out a preliminary laboratory test from which it can be concluded that the identified bacterial strain is not sensitive to the tested non-critically important antibiotics or to other tested antibacterial substances and is exclusively sensitive to the tested critically important antibiotics;

- conditions for prescribing critically important antibiotics in cases where a preliminary laboratory test is not possible for technical reasons;

- conditions for prescribing critically important antibiotics in exceptional cases of extreme urgency while awaiting the outcome of a laboratory test.