Growing up in North Carolina, one of the most prominent swine regions of the US, pigs were a way of life. My family never owned livestock, but my father was a swine veterinarian and our entire livelihood depended on the local swine industry. As far back as my memory goes, I can recall riding through the countryside with him to visit the surrounding pig farms to provide veterinary services. Those are among my fondest childhood memories, and it was those experiences that shaped the path to the career I am in today – helping farmers through helping their animals.
Much like “pigs were a way of life” for my family and my community, adding antibiotics to pig rations was a way of life for farmers. It is completely understandable why this became common practice. Antibiotics are a powerful technology and a proven solution that makes your animals healthier and your business more profitable… but what other effects may have been occurring? Over the years our knowledge has grown, our science has advanced, and we now have a greater understanding of the real threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While the greatest contributor to AMR in humans has been the use of antibiotics in human medicine, there are many studies that show the antibiotic use in animals has added to the resistance problem.
We cannot change the past, but we must deliver solutions to protect the future. As all regions move toward eliminating the use of antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed, our customers now look to science-based partners like DSM to help them adjust to the new way of feeding animals. Will these solutions come from our immunity enhancing vitamins, or will they come from improving gut health and feed hygiene with our Eubiotics? Will the solution come from a future DSM innovation yet to be discovered? I believe that success must come from a combination of all of these to meet the specific needs of each customer. It is our responsibility to deliver the solutions the world needs to help tackle AMR, while also providing tools to our customers to ensure that their businesses have a bright, and profitable, future.
The WE MAKE IT POSSIBLE positioning supports our ambition to be the world leader in animal nutrition & health, providing tangible and measurable solutions to our customers so together we can tackle the biggest challenges facing society & the animal protein industry.
If not us, who?
If not now, when?
So, let’s make it possible!
All the best,
Jeremiah Nemechek
Sr. Manager, Nutrition & Health Solutions
