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The Medicine Hub for dairy, beef and sheep farmers
An online tool to help dairy, beef and sheep producers monitor and compare medicine use and tackle the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
The Medicine Hub provides a safe, secure and independent central repository to collate, report and compare antibiotic use at individual farm level
AHDB has played an important role developing the Medicine Hub infrastructure and along with our industry partners, we encourage farmers to share their medicine use data.
This will help prove the industry's credentials to the public, the supply chain and to competitors and customers around the world.
How to video guides
Measuring farm level antibiotic use
Measures of antibiotic use for cattle and sheep were recommended by industry groups after wide consultation with vets, producers, academics and other stakeholders. These are incorporated into Medicine Hub and we continue to work with stakeholders through an 'Industry Liaison Group' to ensure measures remain appropriate over the coming years.
Figures provided to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) for national sector level calculations will be calculated from the Medicine Hub by us on a population correction unit (PCU) basis as described by the ESVAC project.
Targets for responsible antibiotic use
The Responsible Use of Medicine in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) have facilitated a Targets Task Force Group, comprising of a vet and a farmer in each sector, to work with sectors to agree sector targets for addressing antibiotic use in each farmed livestock sector. This means that the targets are set by each sector themselves through wide consultation and agreement.
RUMA targets for the responsible use of antibiotics in UK livestock sectors 2021-2024
Electronic Medicine Book (eMB) for pigs
AHDB Pork launched an electronic medicine book in 2016 to help UK pig producers collect accurate on-farm antibiotic usage data. The move was a reaction to increased concern over antibiotic usage, and a desire for a strong evidence base with which to defend the industry.
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