Antibiotic usage in livestock

With the growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, antibiotics from the fluoroquinolone and 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporin groups are critically important for use in human and animal medicine.

To prevent bacteria from developing resistance to these important antibiotic groups, their use should be limited. This is why Soil Association Standards require that you do not use them except with our permission and only to treat individual animals.

Permission can be only given if you are using these antibiotics as a last resort and when other antibiotics would not be effective. This can be obtained by contacting your certification officer over the phone or by email. Alternatively we can approve the use of these products in your health plan if it is clear you are only using these products when there is no alternative to treat the animal affectively.

The following drugs are fluoroquinolones (F) and third and fourth generation cephalosporins (C) currently licensed for use on UK farms: enrofloxacin (F), danofloxicin mesylate (F), danofloxicin hydrochloride (F), marbofloxacin (F), ceftiofur (C), cefoparazone (C) and cefquinome (C). These are the active ingredients which can be marketed under several different brand names by different pharmaceutical companies.