Good news from the UK ruminant sector’s Medicine Hub

The recently published 2023 RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicine in Agriculture) Targets Task Force report (1 November 2023) included, for the first time, data from our Medicine Hub.

We have collected data from the dairy, sheep and beef sectors and calculated antibiotic use for each sector.

Medicine Hub is an online tool used to defend the reputation of the UK's ruminant sector.

This early data marks a significant step for the UK's ruminant sector and confirms what commentators have believed for some time: that the ruminant sector is a low and responsible user of antibiotics.

Chris Gooderham, AHDB Livestock Science and Environment Director, said:

“Efforts from across the industry – farmers, vets, bulk data holders, processors and retailers have helped get Medicine Hub to where it is today, and acknowledging this good work is important.

‘’We couldn’t have made this progress, particularly as a voluntary initiative, without this support.

“It is very early stages of data collection in the UK’s ruminant sector. Nonetheless, having this initial data for the dairy, beef and sheep industries puts us in line with EU nations, where central collation of antibiotic usage is mandatory, and other UK livestock sectors, which have gathered and published data for some years.”

The ruminant sector is fragmented compared to others, with a complex infrastructure and a huge number of holdings, often with more than one enterprise. This means a slower data-gathering process compared to smaller and more integrated livestock industries.

Mr Gooderham added:

“We exceeded the targets set by the RUMA Target Task Force for the number of datasets uploaded to the Hub for 2022. With targets for gathering 2023 data doubling next year, work continues to engage stakeholders along the supply chain to encourage even greater use of Medicine Hub for new and existing data sets.

“The more data we gather, the more representative of each sector it will be. With more data uploaded, we can provide better evidence of the sector’s responsible use of antibiotics and take an active part in shaping usage targets and future plans for stewardship.”

Medicine Hub is a centralised national database for the collection and collation of antibiotic use data.

Data can be uploaded directly by a farmer, their vet or a bulk data holder and is an essential tool to provide evidence of the sector’s responsible approach to antibiotic use.

Chris Gooderham, AHDB Livestock Science & Environment Director