Impact of antibiotic use and disease risks on Australian laying hen welfare

Abstract

Antibiotic stewardship is an important concern for government, communities and producers. Shifts towards more extensive production systems in egg layers (i.e. free range) has increased the incidence of many diseases and parasites, requiring a return to the use of medications. Limitations on the number of antimicrobial drugs available for use in Australian egg layers under these increased usage situations can lead to the loss of effectiveness of the medications, antibiotic resistance development and continued declines in bird health and welfare. The small size of the Australian layer flock makes the likelihood of more antimicrobials becoming available very low due to the high cost of obtaining additional registration for use in layers and the significant challenge in assuring nil residues in eggs.