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Essential Reading:
  • EU continues reductions in farm antibiotic use – with UK still well-placed
  • New antibiotic targets released for the UK livestock sectors
  • Pig sector continues to reduce antibiotic use
  • India bans colistin use on farms
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Laying Hens

Snapshot

  • The UK laying hen sector monitors total usage on the basis of bird-days* medicated (daily doses**) as a proportion of the estimated total number of bird-days at risk based on Lion Code census figures
  • The target 2017-2020 was for % bird days medicated to remain below 1%
  • HP CIA (fluoroquinolone + colistin) days medicated was also to be <0.05%
  • No HP-CIAs were used in 2019 at all, and sector use was 0.683% bird days treated – an increase on 2017 & 2018 but a reduction from 2016; annual fluctuations are expected due to disease pressures but the target has been achieved each year
  • Due to expected system changes for fresh egg production away from colony cages over the next few years, an increase in disease challenge is anticipated and will need to be treated if it emerges
  • For this reason, targets will remain the same for 2021-2024
  • For more detail on progress against the 2017-2020 the laying hen targets, and new targets 2021-2024, please refer to the full Targets Task Force Report 2020.

*A bird-day is the standard denominator used to calculate all proportions, or percentages. For the year, it is the mean daily population of birds in the Lion scheme (including breeding birds and pullets in rear) multiplied by 365.

**A daily dose is a single chicken treated with an antibiotic for one day.  Courses of treatment will vary with the clinical need, but are typically 3-5 days. So a flock of 5,000 chickens treated with an antibiotic for 3 days is 15,000 daily doses.

News Updates

New antibiotic targets released for the UK livestock sectors

23 Nov 2020

Machine learning targets antibiotic resistance in chickens

08 Sep 2019

New report shows progress towards achieving farm antibiotic targets

18 Nov 2018

RUMA confirms position on ‘antibiotic-free’ labelling

08 Oct 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

Poultry research centre to focus on antibiotic alternatives

25 Apr 2018

Food report from pressure groups misleads on antibiotics

19 Apr 2018

Initiatives

Lion Quality Training Passport for Antibiotic Use

Jul 2017

Useful Organisations

Progress Updates

  • Timeline of Progress
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Farm Antibiotics
  • Home
  • Science Facts & FAQs
    ▼
    • What is Antibiotic Resistance?
    • Past, Present & Future
    • Myth-buster
    • #AskAnExpert FAQs
    • Antibiotic Infographs
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    • All Topics
    • #VaccinesWork
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    • Progress across UK Farming
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    • Timeline of Progress
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