SPCA advocates that all farms should develop a preventative health care plan with their veterinarian to minimise disease risk and reduce use of antimicrobials.

A preventative health care plan should include methods to reduce disease risk from incoming or wild animals, such as operating a closed herd or quarantining incoming animals, monitoring and early identification of illness, and use of proactive health care measures, such as vaccination and anti-parasitic treatments, to protect animal health and reduce microbial use.

SPCA supports efforts to reduce antibiotic reliance, both in New Zealand and globally.

Our organisation acknowledges that antibiotics can be critical to ensure animal health, and supports responsible veterinary prescriptions (authorisation) and therapeutic use of antibiotics to treat diagnosed disease.

SPCA supports the strategic goal that livestock production in New Zealand will be free from reliance on antibiotics for the maintenance of the health and welfare of animals by 2030, as stated by the New Zealand Veterinary Association.

SPCA also supports efforts towards the global reduction of antibiotic dependency in production animal systems via a One Health/One Welfare approach by the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health), WHO (World Health Organisation), FAI (Food Animal Initiative) and the United Nations.