New data from the United Kingdom show that sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals remain at decade-low levels.
The data from the latest the UK-Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (UK-VARSS) report show that sales of veterinary antibiotics for use in livestock and poultry, adjusted by animal population, were unchanged from 2022 to 2023 but were 59% lower than in 2014. Veterinary sales of highest priority critically important antibiotics, which includes fluoroquinolones, third-generation cephalosporins, and colistin, fell slightly from 2022 and were 84% lower than in 2014.
The amount of antibiotics prescribed or administered fell across several food-animal and farmed-fish species in 2022, but increases were observed in pigs, gamebirds, ducks, and salmon compared with 2023. Still, all species except for salmon have seen reductions in antibiotic usage ranging from 50% to 97% over the last decade. UK officials say the upticks in use in some sectors need to be monitored.
The report also shows declining levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in UK livestock and poultry. The proportion of Escherichia coli isolates from healthy pigs and chickens at slaughter that were fully susceptible to a panel of antibiotics is at a new high of 43%, which is more than double the proportion found in 2014-2015. The percentage of multidrug-resistant E coli in pigs and chickens is at a new low of 27%.
UK officials say the reductions in antibiotic use and AMR on UK farms demonstrate the dedication of UK farmers and veterinarians to responsible antibiotic use in animals.
"Today's report, which is published during World AMR Awareness Week, highlights ongoing progress but also the vital need for continued action in this space," UK Animal and Plant Health Agency Director Jenny Stewart, PhD, MBA, said in an agency press release. "We will continue to work closely with UK vets and farmers, as well as international partners, to address the threat of AMR."