28.10.20
European purchases of antibiotics for farm animals are continuing to decline. This is according to the 10th annual report from the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) examining antibiotic sales across different European countries in 2018, which was released on 21 October.
Data collected from 25 EU countries show a 34.6% reduction in sales between 2011 and 2018. Figures show the UK has the fifth lowest sales in Europe and uses 71% less than the EU average in terms of mg/PCU.
Sales of antibiotics for farm animals in Europe fell from 107mg/PCU in 2017 to 103.2mg/PCU in 2018.
Sales between 2011 and 2018 are down 24% for the most critically important antibiotics: 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and colistin.
A visual guide to the report can be found here.
