"If you use pencillin, use enough" - A normative study on the Swedish action plan against antibiotic resistance

Sammanfattning: The intention of this paper was to criticize the Swedish official action plan against antibiotic resistance with a focus on antimicrobial usage within livestock production. The aim was to strengthen and prove the thesis that there are deficiencies in the policy due to the exclusion of public participation and individual responsibility of meat consumption which is necessary for reducing antimicrobial resistance. The paper is based on a normative method with an argumentative analysis to confirm the thesis. Amartya Sen’s capability approach was used as a theory to strengthen the arguments that the consumer is a major factor in the reduction of antimicrobial usage and resistance due to the need for people to participate in public discussions and active participation in decision-making. The conclusion is that the policy is problematic due to the argument that the consumer is of essential importance in the reduction of resistance in terms of the demand which controls the production within livestock production.