To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference
to the oral evidence of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Farming, Food
and Marine Environment to the Science and Technology Committee of 12 March 2014, HC
848, question 327, what the evidential basis is for his statement that antibiotics
tend to be used in the veterinary world more sparingly than in the medical world.
<p> </p><p>Data on antibiotic use in the medical and veterinary sectors are currently
collated in a different format, which prevents direct comparison.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>However, data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that
376 tonnes of just one class of antibiotic, the β-lactams, was used in primary care
in England in 2012. This does not factor in other classes of antibiotic, or those
used in secondary care. In contrast the total sales of all antibiotics for use in
animals for the whole UK was 409 tonnes, 82 tonnes of which were β-lactams.</p><p>
</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p>
<p> </p><p>Data on antibiotic use in the medical and veterinary sectors are currently
collated in different formats, which prevents direct comparison; it is therefore not
possible to accurately ascertain what proportion of total antibiotics used in the
UK are given to farm animals.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2012, sales of antibiotic
active ingredient authorised for veterinary use (farm and companion animals) totalled
409 tonnes.</p><p> </p>
