“Sales of antibiotics for use in animals in the UK have fallen to their lowest level since records began, exceeding a government target to combat the threat of antibiotic resistance (AMR) two years early”

This is a statement from Defra that has rightfully been spread far and wide in farming press, though probably not far enough in the general media! UK farming industries have really taken the reduction of antibiotics seriously and are pulling more than their weight in the international program to reduce risk of antibiotic resistance development.

The more we use antibiotics under the maxim ‘as little as possible but as much as necessary’ the more sustainable UK farming and food production will be. In the dairy industry, we have prioritised reduction of Critically Important Antibiotics (CIAs) and across the UK use of these antibiotics is less than half what it was in 2015. The next steps are to continue reduction in CIAs and target a reduced overall use of antibiotics, a bigger but equally achievable goal!

We have all played a part in this, so please do mark in your diaries the meeting on 28th November to see what you and St Boniface clients overall have achieved - please click the link to our Events Page.

World Antibiotic Awareness Week runs from 16-22 November, so expect more encouraging news and international collaboration in the fight for responsible use of antibiotics.

If you would like to chat to a vet about your antibiotic usage, please call 01363 772860 and speak to a member of our Farm team.