Drugs regulator finds 20 per cent drop in agricultural antibiotic use

Sales of antibiotics for use in animals reared for food dropped by 20 per cent across 25 European countries between 2011 and 2016, according to the European Medicines Agency.

In a report published on 15 October, the EMA said that the decrease was a validation of EU policies and national campaigns to reduce the routine use of antibiotics in agriculture to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The decrease was part of a continuing downward trend in the use of antibiotics by farmers, the report said.