Husbandry and Antibiotics

Cóilín Nunan, our Scientific Advisor, has written a report for the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) on achieving responsible farm antibiotic use through improving animal health and welfare in pig and poultry production. Published January 2022.

In this one page summary of our our 2021 report 'Antibiotics use in Organic Farming; Lowering Use Through Good Husbandry' we analyse the latest data and find that, on average, organic farms use four times fewer antibiotics than the UK national average.

Here we analyse the latest data available on antibiotics use in organic farming. We find that, although there is room for improvement in the organic sector, the husbandry practices used see a reduction in the amount of antibiotics use across farms and species.

A survey, commissioned by the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, found that overall antibiotic use per livestock unit by Soil Association certified farmers was four times lower than the national average. For dairy farms it was fewer than half the national average and for beef farms it was less than a third. For sheep farms it was less than a fifth of the level found in the most recent large survey of sheep farms.

Watch our Scientific Adviser Cóilín Nunan present our report findings, and hear expert guest speakers Helen Browning, Ed Bailey, and Kristin Bash discuss how to reduce antibiotics further, and what government, farmers and vets can do to help. Chaired by Kath Dalmeny, Sustain CEO.

Please contact Katherine Button at kbutton@saveourantibiotics.eu if you would like to receive high res copies of the tables and graphs featured in this report.