3.1 Our approach to AMR

In 2022, Nutreco's AMR Working Committee continued working to create customer value by co-creating solutions at client production sites. The Committee consists of two colleagues from Trouw Nutrition, two from Skretting and one from Nutreco's Corporate office.

More than 70% of Nutreco antibiotics are sold in five Trouw Nutrition OpCos. These five OpCos developed a three-year project plan in 2022, that includes technical, marketing and sales strategies, to reach 2025 antibiotic reduction targets. Their first focus will be on monogastrics, followed by ruminants.

Trouw Nutrition also developed a five-step antibiotic reduction program to support customers with a holistic approach – including feed, farm and health management – that makes the switch to the responsible use of antibiotics easy and manageable. This antibiotic reduction program works by using a well-integrated package of our product solutions and services and a procedure to reduce dependency on antibiotics step by step, while maintaining or even improving the customer’s profitability.

Antibiotic Reduction Program

Our progress

In 2022, Nutreco started building a real-time overview of the use of antibiotics in our products. This is now enabling us to follow trends in greater detail – for example, by species and by country – and use the data to identify the main challenges on which we want to focus our efforts, to support those who need it the most. Since the publication of RoadMap 2025, we have launched initiatives in several of our businesses to stimulate a more responsible use of antibiotics.

As a result of all these efforts, we have made good progress in reducing antibiotics usage over the past year. In 2022, Trouw Nutrition businesses processed 25% less antibiotics (active ingredients) compared
to 2021 and used 35% less CIAs. Our businesses reported that only 12% of the total volume of antibiotics sold were used officially as AGPs, and theremaining volume as preventive or curative treatment. While we've achieved a significant reduction, the fact that 15% of the AGPs used are still classified as CIA underlines the urgent need to improve the responsible use of antibiotics in the animal husbandry value chain. Our aquaculture business, Skretting, reduced the use of antibiotics by 34% and CIAs by 28%.

Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) through local efforts

OpCos across Skretting and Trouw Nutrition are working with customers and local stakeholders to reduce the use of antibiotics by taking a holistic approach to disease management.

Our business in Brazil decided to start phasing out toll manufacturing Critically Important Antibiotics (CIAs) and replaced a significant volume of theCIAs used as Antibiotic Growth Promoters (AGPs) in monogastrics with a non-CIA solutions. This resulted in a 54% reduction in CIAs, and, by increasing the awareness around the importance of reducing antibiotic use, they were also able to reduce AGP and other antibiotic use.

Our South African OpCo created a strategy to train the local team and increase awareness around antibiotic reduction in 2022, which we expect will result in a reduction of AGP use in monogastrics in 2023. The OpCo’s biggest use of AGPs is in ruminants, which will be addressed more proactively by Trouw Nutrition in the market in 2024.

Skretting Spain and our Trouw Nutrition Iberia business unit made significant progress in reducing the use of antibiotics during the year. They reduced CIA sales through a joint effort, together with customers, veterinarians and the government that included co-creating solutions with customers and proactively cooperating with Spain's National Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance (PRAN).

Their efforts were based around offering customers value-added non- antibiotic solutions and a holistic approach to disease management that takes into account the feed, farm and health aspects of their businesses. Our Iberia business unit reduced CIA use by 61% during the year. All its divisions lowered antibiotic use drastically, and its pharma division stopped all antibiotic sales from January 1, 2023.

The business unit also managed to reduce non-CIA use by almost the same level. Skretting Spain reduced CIA sales by 91% and reduced non-CIA use by a similar level – a major success.

Chapters:

3.1 Our approach to AMR
3.2 Animal welfare