UK sheep farming has a role to ensure appropriate use only with antibiotics as the sector has been warned that it cannot be complacent.
A survey was commissioned this summer to reveal where and why antibiotics are being used within the sheep sector.
Independent sheep specialist Kate Phillips, and Karen Wheeler of ADAS are in the process of analysing results from more than 350 farmers with the view to guiding future support and development work.
"The sheep sector is taking antimicrobial use very seriously," said Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive.
"We need to play our part in ensuring these medicines continue to be available and effective for both our human and animal populations.
"To focus our efforts, we need to understand why and when farmers are choosing to use antibiotics, so we can steer future work towards increasing vaccination for some conditions and finding alternative solutions to others."
Flock health
The issue of antimicrobial resistance is now recognised as a global challenge, with 193 countries recently signing a declaration to work together to combat the risks.
This is a challenge faced by both human medicine and agriculture, and Defra said it is committed to an average cross-UK, cross-sector target which will aim to reduce usage by 19% over a four-year period.
The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) is leading the way in helping individual sectors identify specific objectives and ensure more responsible use.
MSD Animal Health says it is working hard to help sheep producers understand the flock productivity benefits of preventative healthcare.
John Atkinson MRCVS, MSD Animal Health Technical Manager, says: "The continued focus on reducing the use of antibiotics in farmed livestock means it is vital that the whole UK sheep industry embraces active flock health planning.
"Our aim is to actively support this positive move for the industry by providing a technical advice platform for both vets and sheep farmers that is designed to optimise flock health and performance."
