Antibiotic use in UK pig production in 2017

According to "Pig Industry Antibiotic Stewardship Programme":

• In 2016, the volume of antibiotics administered to pigs in the UK dropped by 34% from 278 mg/PCU to 183 mg/PCU.
• This was followed by a further 28% reduction in 2017, to 131 mg/PCU.
• Overall, the UK pig industry has more than halved its antibiotic use within the last two years.
• These estimates of national usage were calculated using data submitted to AHDB’s electronic Medicines Book (eMB). For 2017, the database contained data covering 87% of pigs slaughtered in the UK.
• During the same time period, usage in pigs of the classes considered by the European Medicines Agency to be highest priority critically important antibiotics (HP-CIAs), which are 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and colistin fell from 0.98 mg/PCU to 0.1 mg/PCU.
• HP-CIAs represented just 0.08% of total antibiotic use in pigs in 2017.

Reduction Targets

Data on sales of antibiotics and their use in pigs were used to set targets for the pig sector to further reduce and refine its use of antibiotics. The targets were published in the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance’s Targets Task Force Report. In summary,

• The pig industry aims to reduce total antibiotic use by 62% over five years, to reach 99mg/PCU by 2020.
• Use of HP-CIAs should not rise above the current low levels.