Total sales of livestock antibiotics at lowest level since 1993

Figures show a 40% drop in sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals between 2013 and 2017
Figures show a 40% drop in sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals between 2013 and 2017

Total sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals in the UK have fallen to their lowest level since 1993, new figures show.

Sales of antibiotics for use in livestock dropped by 18% between 2016 and 2017 to reach a low of 37 mg/kg.

The report, by Defra’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate, shows that sales have also dropped by 40% between 2013 and 2017.

For the first time, the annual report presents data on the use of antibiotics in beef, trout and salmon in addition to usage in the poultry, pig, dairy, gamebird and egg-laying hen industries.

The report shows that rates of resistance in healthy pigs at slaughter have remained relatively stable between 2015 and 2017 for most antibiotics tested; however, a decline has started to be observed in E. coli coinciding with a reduction in antibiotic use in pigs.

As well as the overall reduction, the report shows a further drop in sales of the highest priority antibiotics that are critically important for human health. This includes a 94% reduction, compared to 2016, in the use of colistin, an antibiotic of last resort for use in people.

Colistin use is now at 0.001 mg/kg, putting it considerably below the European Medicines Agency’s target of using less than 1 mg/kg.

Lord Gardiner, Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, said: "These results show an encouraging reduction of antibiotic use in beef, pigs, poultry and other food-producing animals. I hope that the results will set a further example for our food and farming sectors to tackle the threat of antimicrobial resistance."

The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) has praised the "hard work" undertaken by farmers and the wider industry.

However, Chair of the group, Gwyn Jones, cautioned that there is more to do in driving responsible use while safeguarding animal health and welfare and food safety.

Mr Jones said: “Because a large percentage of products are used to treat multiple species of animal, figures for actual use by species, on farms, are critical to understand patterns in individual sectors.

“They are also needed to help those sectors to monitor, improve and get recognition for their achievements – and to meet their 2020 antibiotic use targets,” he added.

Most of the reductions over the past few years have come from first the poultry meat sector, then pig and gamebird sectors, which have all released comprehensive usage figures covering almost all their producers, RUMA explained.

Smaller datasets are being accessed for dairy and beef – a big step forward – but national data on these sectors remains harder to capture due to their more diverse supply chains, the large number of producers involved and greater prevalence of mixed enterprise operations.

Mr Jones said: “This means we can’t be sure of how representative the figures are. For example, antibiotic usage figures in the 2017 report indicate that dairy cows fell from 26mg/kg in 2016 to 17mg/kg in 2017.

“This is based on one large dataset of veterinary practice prescriptions – the best we currently have – but we must be mindful that because this database covers 31% of dairy cows, it may not be typical of the whole dairy sector.

He added: “Recent studies have also suggested that while few antibiotics are used in the best dairy operations, a small number of farms could be responsible for a large portion of use.

“Improving the quality of data collection can only help us better understand where we really are, and inform and advise those who need to change their practices,” he said.

Antimicrobial Resistance occurs when the micro-organisms that cause infection survive exposure to a medicine that would normally kill them or stop their growth.

It poses a major threat to modern medicine and is estimated to cost £66 trillion in lost productivity to the global economy.

In 2013 the UK government launched a strategy to reduce the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in animals and humans.

As part of this, it provided advice to the food-producing animal industry and veterinary professions, encouraging more responsible use of antibiotics to protect medicines for the future.