UK pig antibiotic use down 72% in a decade

UK pig producers have cut antibiotic use by 72% over the past decade, with usage falling again in 2025 to 77.2 mg/PCU, new AHDB figures show.

The latest data has been published as the electronic Medicines Book marks its 10th year.

Total antibiotic use in UK pigs fell by 10% in 2025 compared with the previous year and is now 72% lower than in 2015, when eMB reporting first began.

AHDB said the figures showed the scale of long-term change across the pig sector and the impact of sustained action on responsible antibiotic use.

The eMB was introduced in response to growing concern over antimicrobial resistance.

Since then, the sector has moved towards a prevention-led approach, with producers and vets focusing on better herd health, stronger biosecurity and improved management.

AHDB said the aim had been to reduce the need for antibiotics in the first place, rather than remove treatment where it is needed for animal welfare.

The eMB now captures data from more than 94% of UK pig production, giving producers and vets a shared way to benchmark antibiotic use, identify areas for improvement and track progress.

AHDB said the system had helped turn data into practical decisions on farm.

The withdrawal of zinc oxide in 2022, which had been widely used to manage post-weaning diarrhoea, raised fears that antibiotic use could rise again.

AHDB said usage increased briefly, but did not return to previous levels and has since fallen back.

It said this demonstrated the strength of the health and management systems now in place across the sector.

Mandy Nevel, head of animal health and welfare at AHDB, said: “Ten years of data from the eMB show what this industry can achieve when it works together.

“Antibiotic use has fallen by more than 70% since 2015, which is a significant achievement.”

Ms Nevel said the progress had been driven by better herd health and management, rather than simply cutting treatment.

She said: “This hasn’t been about removing treatment where it is needed. It has been about improving herd health and management so that the need for antibiotics is reduced in the first place.”

She added: “The latest results show that responsible antibiotic use and high standards of pig health and welfare go hand-in-hand and maintaining that balance will remain a priority.”

AHDB said the pace of reduction had naturally slowed, with antibiotics still necessary to protect animal welfare where treatment is needed and the sector’s approach remaining “as little as possible, but as much as necessary”.

AHDB said shared data, consistent measurement and industry collaboration would be key to sustaining progress as disease pressures, changing production conditions and evolving regulations continue to test the pig sector.

Looking ahead, it said the challenge would be to maintain good pig health while keeping responsible antibiotic use as standard practice across the industry.