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Veterinary antibiotic sales halved in five years
There has been an overall fall in the level of resistance in E. coli from healthy pigs at slaughter since 2015.

“This demonstrates how farmers and vets have been working together to use antibiotics responsibly” - Peter Borriello, VMD.

UK antibiotic sales for food-producing animals have fallen by as much as half since 2014, according to the latest UK-Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance (UK-VARSS) annual report.

Published by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the 2019 report shows that sales of antibiotics increased slightly by 1.5 mg/kg to 31.0 mg/kg compared to 2018. This increase was, however, offset by a reduction in the use of the Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotics (HP-CIAs), which are critical for human health. 

The report, released at the start of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (18-24 Novermber), also shows that the use of veterinary antibiotics in 2019 was at its second-lowest level since the start of reporting, and the UK has the fifth-lowest level of antibiotic sales in Europe. 

Peter Borriello, chief executive of the VMD said: “In the last five years we have worked closely with the farming industry and veterinary profession to achieve huge reductions in the use of antibiotics in animals.

"This demonstrates how farmers and vets have been working together to use antibiotics responsibly while safeguarding the health and welfare of our livestock.

“The UK Government will continue to work with industry to focus on infection control, reducing the need to use antibiotics to treat disease and maintain the UK’s world-leading standards in animal welfare.”

Reducing the use of unnecessary antibiotics in animals, especially HP-CIAs, is key to halting the spread of antibiotic resistance and protecting the most important antibiotics for human health. However, their use in livestock remains critical to protect against disease.

The report shows that between 2018 and 2019, the use of HP-CIAs in food-producing animals fell by 21 per cent, accounting for 0.5 per cent of total antibiotic sales. Figures show there was also an overall fall in the level of resistance in E. coli from healthy pigs at slaughter since 2015, and resistance to HP-CIAs in E. coli is at very low levels.


Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer for the UK, added: “I am delighted that the UK continues to lead the way as one of the lowest users of antibiotics in livestock across Europe.

“These findings are testament to the hard work of the UK’s farmers and vets to use antibiotics responsibly in order to tackle antibiotic resistance and protect our most critically important antibiotics in human health, while also reducing the burden of disease in animals.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.