A decade of action cuts antibiotic use in UK pigs by 72%

New data show antibiotic use remains substantially lower than a decade ago, as the electronic Medicines Book (eMB) marks its 10th year.

A decade after the launch of the eMB, new figures show just how far the UK pig industry has come in the responsible use of antibiotics, and the role sustained, coordinated action has played in getting there.

Total antibiotic use fell to 77.2 mg/PCU in 2025, down 10% on the previous year and now 72% lower than in 2015, when reporting through eMB first began. Taken together, the results show the scale of long-term change that has taken place across the sector.

What began as a response to growing concern around antimicrobial resistance has developed into an established, industry-wide approach centred on prevention.

Over the past 10 years, producers and vets have steadily shifted focus towards improving herd health, tightening biosecurity and refining management practices so that antibiotics are needed less often in the first place.

Now capturing data from most (>94%) of UK pig production, it has provided a consistent, shared picture of antibiotic use across the sector. That visibility has enabled producers and vets to benchmark performance, identify where change is needed and track progress over time – turning data into practical decisions on farm.

The withdrawal of zinc oxide in 2022, widely used to manage post-weaning diarrhoea, raised concerns that antibiotic use could rise again. While there was a small short-term increase, usage never returned to previous levels and has since fallen again, demonstrating the strength of the systems now in place.

Mandy Nevel, Head of Animal Health and Welfare at AHDB, said:

“Ten years of data from the eMB show what this industry can achieve when it works together. Antibiotic use has fallen by more than 70% since 2015, which is a significant achievement.

“This hasn’t been about removing treatment where it is needed. It has been about improving herd health and management so that the need for antibiotics is reduced in the first place.

“The latest results show that responsible antibiotic use and high standards of pig health and welfare go hand-in-hand and maintaining that balance will remain a priority.”

While the pace of reduction has naturally slowed, antibiotic use is still necessary to protect animal welfare and the goal should never be zero use – it's still ‘as little as possible, but as much as necessary’.

Disease pressures, changing production conditions and evolving challenges will continue to test the sector, but the foundations built over the past 10 years, including shared data, consistent measurement and industry-wide collaboration, leave it well placed to sustain progress.

Looking ahead, the challenge will be about sustaining good animal health along with responsible antibiotic use as the norm.