The Poultry Health Department of the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Medicine (KNMvD) has urged veterinarians to stop using cephalosporins in poultry.

ESBL is a collective term for a group of enzymes made by bacteria. These enzymes have the ability to make antibiotics like penicillin and cephalosporins ineffective.

The occurrence of ESBLs in animals is a risk to public health. Cephalosporins are used in cases of severe bacterial infections in humans. Often the antibiotic is used as a last resort against multi-resistant bacteria.

Prudent use in animals is therefore required. Furthermore, in Europe there is no maximum residue limit (MRL) for cephalosporins in poultry. The MRL is used in the determination of waiting time for poultry meat after antibiotic usage.