Livestock Antibiotics and Veterinary Stewardship

Veterinary antibiotic stewardship is essential for reducing AMR while maintaining animal health - responsible prescribing protocols directly benefit animal welfare outcomes.

Key Facts

The UK's responsible use framework (RCVS, BVA, VMD) provides prescribing guidance for farm vets
Veterinary prescribing data shows reductions in total antibiotic use in UK farming since 2014
Highest priority critically important antibiotics (HPCIA) require veterinary-specific justification
Metaphylactic treatment (treating whole groups when some show signs) is being reduced
Sector-specific antibiotic reduction targets have been set by RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture)
Veterinary-farmer partnerships with a regular vet relationship produce better antibiotic stewardship outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Veterinary antibiotic stewardship requires balancing animal welfare (treating sick animals appropriately) with AMR prevention (avoiding unnecessary use). The dichotomy is false - well-managed farms with good welfare have lower disease prevalence and therefore less antibiotic need. Prophylactic group treatment of healthy animals is the practice that most drives AMR and that welfare improvement most effectively reduces. Vets who advise farmers on welfare-based prevention are simultaneously doing stewardship work. Antibiotic reduction targets that are decoupled from welfare improvement risk causing animal suffering through under-treatment of genuinely sick animals.

What You Can Do

Support RUMA campaigns for responsible antibiotic use in animal agriculture
Engage with your food retailers about antibiotic use policies in their supply chains
Choose products from producers with documented responsible antibiotic use
Support initiatives connecting farmers with herd vets for proactive health management
Advocate for antibiotic monitoring data to be publicly reported at farm level
Follow VMD antibiotic sales reports to track progress in reducing agricultural antibiotic use