Antibiotics

Antibiotics are as crucial in preventing and treating disease in animals as they are in people.

These medicines are a cornerstone of a veterinarian’s toolbox because they are currently the only  way to cure bacterial disease. Without them, animals can suffer and even die at the hands of painful diseases like anthrax or pneumonia, making antibiotics essential to animal welfare.

Its why veterinary professionals work to preserve these medicines for the future by reducing the need for antibiotics in the first place. This means protecting animals from the threat of disease, diagnosing health issues earlier and treating them quickly and responsibly.

This helps ensure antibiotics retain their effectiveness and can continue to offer an invaluable benefit to animals and people well into the future.

Quick facts

Sales of veterinary antimicrobials have declined by 43% in the EU since 2011, over 50% in the UK since 2014 and 53% in France since 2011.

Animal antimicrobial sales in the US are down 38 percent since 2015.

The World Organisation for Animal Health recorded a 34% global reduction in mg/kg of animal antimicrobial use from 2015 to 2017

More than 65% of veterinarians, producers and other animal health stakeholders felt that rearing animals in a ‘Raised Without Antibiotics’ system slightly or significantly worsens animal health and welfare, according to a 2018 study.

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Op-eds

10 Dec 2020

Letter: On the farm, antibiotic resistance is working well

By Carel du Marchie Sarvaas in Financial Times
24 Jan 2020

How animal antibiotic resistance is a threat to all

By Carel du Marchie Sarvaas in Innovation News Network