Progress by Sector: Dairy Cattle

Snapshot

• The dairy sector has identified meaningful objectives for reducing, replacing or refining antibiotic use.
• They include halving use of the highest-priority Critically Important Antibiotics (HP-CIAs) by 2020, and reducing total antibiotic use across dairy farming by 20% by 2020. This means a reduction from an estimated baseline of 26.2mg/kg in 2016 to 21mg/kg in 2020.
• Other targets include reductions in use of intra-mammary tubes to treat clinical mastitis, and an increase in use of teat sealants at drying off, indicating a swing to less use of dry cow therapy.
• 2017 usage data from a sample of dairy cattle comprising 31% of the national dairy herd has been reported as 17mg/kg, with HP-CIAs at 0.6mg/kg.
• The sector has also identified that monitoring uptake of preventative measures, such as vaccinations for respiratory disease, could provide a useful indicator of potential antibiotic reduction. A new vaccination report from AHDB shows that vaccination levels in cattle are increasing.
• An update on progress against specific targets was published in November 2018, with a summary of progress in cattle as follows:

• New metrics to measure antibiotic use on-farm were confirmed in 2018. It was agreed these would both total usage and overall usage of Highest Priority Critically Important
  Antibiotics (HP-CIAs), as defined by the Antimicrobial Advice Ad Hoc Expert Group (AMEG), would be measured. These would be captured as 1) mg/Population Correction Unit (PCU); 2) Average number of antibiotic courses per dairy cow for dry cow therapy, and 3) Average number of antibiotic courses per dairy cow for lactating cow therapy. More information is available at www.chawg.org.uk.
• For more detail on the dairy sector targets, please refer to the Targets Task Force Report.
• For case studies, inspiration and technical tools to help farmers and vets reduce, replace or refine antibiotic use, visit the Ideas Hub.

News Updates

Dairy metrics to measure on-farm antibiotic use released by CHAWG

15 Dec 2018

New report shows progress towards achieving farm antibiotic targets

18 Nov 2018

Use of vaccines in cattle increases as antibiotics fall – new AHDB report

18 Nov 2018

RUMA confirms position on ‘antibiotic-free’ labelling

08 Oct 2018

Rapid diagnostic test for mastitis under development

08 Oct 2018

Campaign aims to remind prescribers and farmers that #VaccinesWork

11 Sep 2018

RUMA publishes position on feeding waste milk to calves

01 Aug 2018

Interim report gives picture of progress towards farming’s antibiotic targets

27 Jul 2018

UK farming triple winner at Public Health England’s Antibiotic Guardian awards

28 Jun 2018

Livestock farmers urged to use correct injection sites

13 Jun 2018

Food report from pressure groups misleads on antibiotics

19 Apr 2018

#ColostrumIsGold campaign aims to slash antibiotic use

29 Jan 2018

Mastitis-causing E coli shows antibiotics resistance

21 Nov 2017

NZ vets want to stop routine use of antibiotics in animals by 2030 – NZ Farmer

10 Nov 2017

Industry task force announces new sector-specific targets

27 Oct 2017

Record low for sales of antibiotics for use in animals

27 Oct 2017

How precision tech helped a Norfolk dairy farmer cut antibiotic use by 80 per cent

26 Oct 2017

‘Increasing dairy herd size doesn’t increase drug use’

21 Oct 2017

New Red Tractor antibiotic rules outlined

28 Jul 2017

British cattle vets recommend voluntary clampdown on antibiotic use

24 Jan 2017

Antibiotics could be cut by up to a third, say dairy farmers

03 Oct 2016

Initiatives

Dairy metrics to measure on-farm antibiotic use released by CHAWG

Dec 2018

Use of vaccines in cattle increases as antibiotics fall – new AHDB report

Nov 2018

Campaign aims to remind prescribers and farmers that #VaccinesWork

Sep 2018

#ColostrumIsGold campaign aims to slash antibiotic use

Jan 2018

Dairy sector launches new Dairy Antimicrobial Stewardship Group

Aug 2017

British Cattle Vets position statement on use on antibiotics in dairy & beef sectors – BCVA

Aug 2017

Dairy Pro professional training and development register for dairy farmers and operators

Jul 2017

MilkSure – antibiotic use in the dairy sector

Jul 2017

Research programme at University of Nottingham

Jul 2017

AMR Force project from University of Bristol

Jul 2017

Useful Organisations