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Animals: Antibiotics

Question for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

UIN 176052, tabled on 8 October 2018

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has plans to ban the preventative use of antibiotics in groups of animals in line with proposals by the EU to introduce such a ban; and if he will make a statement.

Answered on

16 October 2018

The proposed EU veterinary medicines legislation includes provisions to restrict the use of antibiotics in animals for preventative purposes. The UK has played a key role in the revision of this legislation and supported the Commission’s main aims. The UK Government plans to implement the restrictions on preventative use of antibiotics in line with the EU proposals.

We will continue to work closely with the veterinary profession, the livestock sectors and other stakeholders in developing, interpreting and implementing policy and legislation for tackling antimicrobial resistance.