Results welcomed as antibiotic use in pig sector down for third consecutive year

AHDB senior veterinary manager Mandy Nevel said: “The latest reductions in antibiotic use in the UK pig sector reflect the great efforts of pig producers and their vets to champion responsible antibiotic use.

“As we approach the target set by the UK pig industry, it is important that producers work with their vets to ensure further reductions do not compromise animal welfare.

Progress

“Antibiotics are a vital tool that enable vets to control disease in pigs and early treatment, where appropriate, is essential to ensure welfare.”

AHDB said the success could be attributed to several factors, including Red Tractor adding antibiotic recording in eMB into their pig standards and AHDB developing a new benchmarking tool.

The eMB’s benchmarking function allows producers to benchmark themselves against other producers with similar production systems, enabling producers to understand their own patterns of use and, alongside their vets, make informed decisions around animal treatments, including antibiotic usage.

Angela Christison, AHDB’s pork strategy director, added: “This is really positive progress and demonstrates the relentless commitment from the sector to use antibiotics responsibly.”