Reducing the use of antibiotics in the meat sector

The rise of antimicrobial resistance is a looming global crisis, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases, resulting in prolonged illness, disability, and death. Over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance.  The Farm to Fork Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals by 50% by 2030. To further limit the use and promote prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials in animals, the new regulations on veterinary medicinal products and medicated feed, to apply as of 2022, will provide for a wide range of concrete measures. The meat sector has already made significant progress in the reduction of the use of antibiotics in recent years. For example, the EU poultry sector has seen their use slashed by 82% in Italy and by 75% in the Netherlands, with significant reductions also seen elsewhere in the EU.