The antibiotic growth promoter used here was avilamycin, a mixture of oligosaccharides of the orthosomycin group, which are produced by Streptomyces viridochromogenes and are active against gram-positive bacteria. Avilamycin is widely used for growth promotion in swine and poultry at inclusion levels ranging from 5 to 40 mg/kg for swine and from 2.5 to 10 mg/kg for poultry.
On the basis of current scientific and technical knowledge it would appear that the evidence presented by the Kingdom of Sweden does not justify a ban on the antibiotic avilamycin, belonging to the group of orthosomycins, since no substance belonging to that group is to date used in human medicine.
