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<p>The Government is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals
while safeguarding their welfare. Changes to the law on veterinary medicines represent
one tool that can be used to help effect reductions in antibiotic prescribing in animals.
The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 are currently under review, and the feedback
from the recently closed public consultation will be analysed and considered.</p><p>
</p><p>The publicly available consultation documents for the <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fnews%2Fveterinary-medicines-regulations-consultation-is-launched&data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Cdfb69f4b75164921260008db41860f8b%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638175816741334967%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JF83p9gUFl1DeR9ZVyhw8O1kf%2FQCIcN3c%2Fmt59jrVpU%3D&reserved=0"
target="_blank">revision of the Veterinary Medicines Legislation</a> set out the rationale
for the Government’s proposed approach to the use of antibiotics to prevent disease
in animals (prophylaxis). In summary, the proposed new legal restrictions on antibiotic
prophylaxis prohibit this type of use in all but exceptional circumstances in order
to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, protect animal welfare and allow changes to
prescribing practices to be made sustainably.</p><p> </p><p>To date in the UK, collaborative
working between the Government, the veterinary profession and the agriculture sectors
to focus on these issues has already resulted in our national sales of veterinary
antibiotics reducing by 55% since 2014, and in 2021 we recorded the lowest antibiotic
use yet.</p><p> </p><p>The Government takes a ‘One-Health’ approach to antimicrobial
resistance (AMR) as set out in the UK National Action Plan on AMR. Officials from
the Department of Health and Social Care, Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate
meet regularly to consider appropriate actions to address AMR across the human and
animal health sectors. This has included discussion on the preventative use of antibiotics
in healthy farm animals.</p>
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