Trend UK veterinary antimicrobial reductions levelling off

Summary

In its short-term outlook, the report expects UK efforts to cut veterinary antimicrobial use to hit limits. UK use in livestock has already fallen by 59% since 2014, but further reductions may be harder to achieve. The report judges that going further would require more fundamental changes in farm management, so the decline could level off. Worldwide use in farm animals, by contrast, is estimated to have grown by about 58% between 2010 and 2020. The report sees better infection control and farm management as improving animal health and welfare, and it points to support for farmers such as the 2023 Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.