The BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme
Promoting responsible use of antibiotics in livestock production
Core PrinciplesIntroduction
The BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme is designed to promote responsible, evidence-based use of antibiotics in livestock production while protecting animal welfare, farm productivity, and public health. Antibiotics remain an essential tool for treating bacterial disease in farm animals, but their effectiveness depends on careful, justified, and targeted use.
Stewardship schemes such as this provide a structured framework to help farms reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, improve disease prevention, and demonstrate commitment to sustainable livestock management.
Purpose and Scope of the Scheme
Strategic Objectives
The primary aim of the BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme is to ensure that antibiotics are used only when they are genuinely needed and in a way that maximises treatment success while minimising risks. These risks include antimicrobial resistance, drug residues in food products, and reduced effectiveness of medicines over time.
The scheme applies to routine farm practice, veterinary prescribing, and on-farm medicine handling, supporting a consistent and transparent approach across livestock systems. By encouraging prevention, accurate diagnosis, and regular review of medicine use, the scheme aligns animal health priorities with national and international antimicrobial resistance strategies.
Through structured frameworks and measurable goals, the scheme creates accountability while maintaining flexibility to accommodate different farming systems and production methods.
Core Principles of Antibiotic Stewardship
Foundational Guidelines
Antibiotic stewardship under the BPC framework is based on clear principles. Antibiotics should be used to treat bacterial infections, not viral, parasitic, or management-related problems. Treatment decisions should be based on clinical assessment and, where appropriate, diagnostic testing.
Targeted Therapy
Prefer narrow-spectrum products whenever possible to minimize resistance development
Precise Administration
Correct dosing, route of administration, and treatment duration are essential for cure
Documentation
Every antibiotic use must be accurately recorded and regularly reviewed
The choice of antibiotic should consider effectiveness, spectrum of activity, and importance to human medicine. Comprehensive record keeping ensures transparency and enables continuous improvement in antibiotic use patterns.
Diagnosis Before Treatment
Evidence-Based Decisions
Accurate diagnosis is central to responsible antibiotic use. The scheme promotes early identification of disease, clinical examination, and the use of laboratory diagnostics when necessary to confirm bacterial infection. Treating without diagnosis increases the risk of inappropriate antibiotic use and treatment failure.
Diagnostic testing supports targeted therapy, improves outcomes, and helps identify recurring problems that may be better addressed through management or biosecurity changes rather than repeated medication.
Veterinary involvement in diagnosis is encouraged, particularly for complex or recurring conditions where laboratory testing may provide valuable insights for treatment planning and prevention strategies.
Prevention and Disease Control Strategies
Reducing Antibiotic Need
A key objective of the stewardship scheme is reducing the need for antibiotics through prevention. Effective biosecurity, vaccination programs, parasite control, good nutrition, appropriate housing, and stress reduction all lower disease pressure on farms.
Biosecurity
Prevent disease introduction through controlled animal movement and facility hygiene
Vaccination
Strategic vaccination programs reduce incidence of common bacterial diseases
Nutrition
Optimal nutrition supports immune function and disease resistance
By strengthening immunity and reducing exposure to pathogens, farms can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks. Preventive health planning with a veterinarian is a core component of the scheme and is essential for long-term reductions in antibiotic use.
Responsible Prescribing and On-Farm Use
Professional Oversight
Under the BPC scheme, antibiotics should only be prescribed by a veterinarian within a valid veterinary-client relationship. Prescriptions should be based on known disease patterns, diagnostic evidence, and farm history. On-farm use must follow label instructions or veterinary directions exactly, including dose, route, and treatment length.
Critically important antibiotics for human medicine should be reserved for situations where no suitable alternatives exist and only under strict veterinary justification. Group treatments should be carefully evaluated and avoided when individual treatment is more appropriate.
The scheme emphasizes professional judgment in antibiotic selection, prioritizing products that are effective for the specific condition while having minimal impact on human medicine and antimicrobial resistance development.
Benefits for Farms and Society
Measurable Advantages
Participation in an antibiotic stewardship scheme brings measurable benefits. Farms often see improved animal health, fewer disease outbreaks, and more predictable production performance. Responsible antibiotic use protects market access by meeting assurance and buyer requirements and builds consumer confidence in animal products.
Animal Health
Improved welfare and reduced disease incidence through prevention focus
Market Access
Meeting buyer requirements and maintaining premium market positions
Public Health
Contributing to global efforts to slow antimicrobial resistance development
At a broader level, stewardship contributes to the global effort to slow the development of antimicrobial resistance, protecting both animal and human health. These benefits extend beyond individual farms to entire production systems and society.
Continuous Improvement and Accountability
Ongoing Commitment
The BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme is not a one-time intervention but a continuous process. Ongoing monitoring, benchmarking against industry standards, and adapting practices as new evidence emerges are essential elements. By embedding stewardship into routine farm management, producers can maintain effective disease control while reducing unnecessary antibiotic exposure.
Accountability through documentation, review, and professional oversight ensures that stewardship goals translate into practical, measurable action on the ground. Regular veterinary reviews and staff training sessions help maintain momentum and identify opportunities for further improvement.
The scheme recognizes that antibiotic stewardship is a journey rather than a destination, requiring ongoing commitment from farmers, veterinarians, and the entire livestock industry to achieve sustainable outcomes.
The BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme
Promoting responsible use of antibiotics in livestock production
Core PrinciplesIntroduction
The BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme is designed to promote responsible, evidence-based use of antibiotics in livestock production while protecting animal welfare, farm productivity, and public health. Antibiotics remain an essential tool for treating bacterial disease in farm animals, but their effectiveness depends on careful, justified, and targeted use.
Stewardship schemes such as this provide a structured framework to help farms reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, improve disease prevention, and demonstrate commitment to sustainable livestock management.
Purpose and Scope of the Scheme
Strategic Objectives
The primary aim of the BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme is to ensure that antibiotics are used only when they are genuinely needed and in a way that maximises treatment success while minimising risks. These risks include antimicrobial resistance, drug residues in food products, and reduced effectiveness of medicines over time.
The scheme applies to routine farm practice, veterinary prescribing, and on-farm medicine handling, supporting a consistent and transparent approach across livestock systems. By encouraging prevention, accurate diagnosis, and regular review of medicine use, the scheme aligns animal health priorities with national and international antimicrobial resistance strategies.
Through structured frameworks and measurable goals, the scheme creates accountability while maintaining flexibility to accommodate different farming systems and production methods.
Core Principles of Antibiotic Stewardship
Foundational Guidelines
Antibiotic stewardship under the BPC framework is based on clear principles. Antibiotics should be used to treat bacterial infections, not viral, parasitic, or management-related problems. Treatment decisions should be based on clinical assessment and, where appropriate, diagnostic testing.
Targeted Therapy
Prefer narrow-spectrum products whenever possible to minimize resistance development
Precise Administration
Correct dosing, route of administration, and treatment duration are essential for cure
Documentation
Every antibiotic use must be accurately recorded and regularly reviewed
The choice of antibiotic should consider effectiveness, spectrum of activity, and importance to human medicine. Comprehensive record keeping ensures transparency and enables continuous improvement in antibiotic use patterns.
Diagnosis Before Treatment
Evidence-Based Decisions
Accurate diagnosis is central to responsible antibiotic use. The scheme promotes early identification of disease, clinical examination, and the use of laboratory diagnostics when necessary to confirm bacterial infection. Treating without diagnosis increases the risk of inappropriate antibiotic use and treatment failure.
Diagnostic testing supports targeted therapy, improves outcomes, and helps identify recurring problems that may be better addressed through management or biosecurity changes rather than repeated medication.
Veterinary involvement in diagnosis is encouraged, particularly for complex or recurring conditions where laboratory testing may provide valuable insights for treatment planning and prevention strategies.
Prevention and Disease Control Strategies
Reducing Antibiotic Need
A key objective of the stewardship scheme is reducing the need for antibiotics through prevention. Effective biosecurity, vaccination programs, parasite control, good nutrition, appropriate housing, and stress reduction all lower disease pressure on farms.
Biosecurity
Prevent disease introduction through controlled animal movement and facility hygiene
Vaccination
Strategic vaccination programs reduce incidence of common bacterial diseases
Nutrition
Optimal nutrition supports immune function and disease resistance
By strengthening immunity and reducing exposure to pathogens, farms can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks. Preventive health planning with a veterinarian is a core component of the scheme and is essential for long-term reductions in antibiotic use.
Responsible Prescribing and On-Farm Use
Professional Oversight
Under the BPC scheme, antibiotics should only be prescribed by a veterinarian within a valid veterinary-client relationship. Prescriptions should be based on known disease patterns, diagnostic evidence, and farm history. On-farm use must follow label instructions or veterinary directions exactly, including dose, route, and treatment length.
Critically important antibiotics for human medicine should be reserved for situations where no suitable alternatives exist and only under strict veterinary justification. Group treatments should be carefully evaluated and avoided when individual treatment is more appropriate.
The scheme emphasizes professional judgment in antibiotic selection, prioritizing products that are effective for the specific condition while having minimal impact on human medicine and antimicrobial resistance development.
Benefits for Farms and Society
Measurable Advantages
Participation in an antibiotic stewardship scheme brings measurable benefits. Farms often see improved animal health, fewer disease outbreaks, and more predictable production performance. Responsible antibiotic use protects market access by meeting assurance and buyer requirements and builds consumer confidence in animal products.
Animal Health
Improved welfare and reduced disease incidence through prevention focus
Market Access
Meeting buyer requirements and maintaining premium market positions
Public Health
Contributing to global efforts to slow antimicrobial resistance development
At a broader level, stewardship contributes to the global effort to slow the development of antimicrobial resistance, protecting both animal and human health. These benefits extend beyond individual farms to entire production systems and society.
Continuous Improvement and Accountability
Ongoing Commitment
The BPC Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme is not a one-time intervention but a continuous process. Ongoing monitoring, benchmarking against industry standards, and adapting practices as new evidence emerges are essential elements. By embedding stewardship into routine farm management, producers can maintain effective disease control while reducing unnecessary antibiotic exposure.
Accountability through documentation, review, and professional oversight ensures that stewardship goals translate into practical, measurable action on the ground. Regular veterinary reviews and staff training sessions help maintain momentum and identify opportunities for further improvement.
The scheme recognizes that antibiotic stewardship is a journey rather than a destination, requiring ongoing commitment from farmers, veterinarians, and the entire livestock industry to achieve sustainable outcomes.