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<p>The UK Government is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals
while safeguarding animal welfare. Since 2014, the UK has reduced sales of veterinary
antibiotics by 55% making the UK one of the lowest users of veterinary antibiotics
across Europe, with only seven other European countries having sold less antibiotics
in 2021 (Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia). We are
currently revising our veterinary medicines legislation in ways which will strengthen
our laws to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Our legislative proposals on AMR bear
many similarities to recently updated EU legislation on veterinary medicines, while
being tailored to the circumstances in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The EU has introduced
two new AMR-related requirements in law for countries trading with the EU to comply
with: a prohibition on the use of antimicrobial medicinal products as growth promoters,
and a prohibition on the use of certain named antimicrobial substances, which are
important for human health, in animals. The UK’s current legislation already prohibits
both of these types of use in food animals, and this will remain unchanged by the
revision of our Veterinary Medicines Regulations; therefore, British farmers’ exports
will continue to comply with these requirements.</p>
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