Antimicrobials usage falls again in UK dairy herds
© Tim Scrivener A 4% drop in antimicrobials usage on UK dairy farms means industry reduction targets have been met just months after they were set.
Average total antimicrobials usage (AMU) between 2024 and early 2025 was 12.2mg/kg for every population-corrected unit (PCU), down from 12.7mg/kg PCU the previous year, and from 15.7mg/kg PCU in 2020.
See also: How a Dorset dairy farmer cut antibiotics usage by 80%
This is according to the fourth annual Kingshay Dairy Antimicrobial Focus report. It is based on data gathered from 967 herds and 136 vet practices across the UK using the Kingshay antimicrobial monitoring service.
However, the drop in AMU is not as big as in the previous year, which could indicate progress slowing.
Kingshay product owner Christina Boobyer said: “All those easy wins have been made, and now it’s about looking a bit closer at what we can do to continue to reduce and maintain that low level.”
Targets met
Despite this, the new Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (Ruma) targets, covering 2025-29, have already been met.
These targets include annual reductions in the three-year rolling averages in lactating and dry cow tube usage, plus a new 10% reduction on the previous year for calf oral antibiotics.
Lactating cow tube usage has fallen by 41% since 2019 to 0.352DCDvet (defined course dose for animals), while dry cow tubes are down on the three-year rolling average, despite a small increase in 2025 to 0.435DCDvet, from 0.425 in 2024.
The calf oral antibiotics target was also met, with usage down 24% between 2024 and 2025, to 1.05mg/kg PCU.
“We’ve also seen a 28% reduction in injectable, highest-priority, critically important antimicrobials to 0.005mg/kg PCU, which is a 98.3% reduction in seven years,” said Christina.
The most frequently used products have consistently been injectable preparations, which continue to dominate in terms of mg/kg PCU, the findings show.
Their usage has been declining each year, though the drop in the most recent year was the smallest yet, she added.
Lactating cow tube usage was also down slightly from the previous year, while dry cow tube usage returned to 2022 levels, at 1.20mg/kg PCU.
Individual herd performance
The top-performing 25% of herds averaged just 4.1mg/kg PCU, compared with 24.3mg/kg PCU for the highest-using quartile.
“That top quartile really pulls the overall average up – the median across all herds was only 9.8mg/kg PCU,” said Kingshay farm services specialist and report co-author Emma Puddy.
She pointed out that just over half of herds moved between quartiles in one year and the next – showing how quickly usage can change.
“Year on year, herds experience different disease challenges. That’s an important part of the picture,” she said, adding that although the use of oral products has decreased overall, they are over-represented in the quartile with the highest AMU.
Oral antibiotics
Oral antibiotics, typically used in calves to manage disease flare-ups such as respiratory infections, are no longer in the top 10 products used.
The reduction, the report suggests, is because of improved disease prevention and herd health management.
They have been replaced by injectable antibiotics, which are less likely to lead to resistance.
Opportunities for further reductions in antimicrobials usage
Kingshay training consultant and vet Michael Head said a good starting point for reducing antimicrobials is to monitor disease incidence through an effective herd health plan.
“Effective vaccination strategies form part of this.
“People can tend to reach for antibiotics, but the benefits of strong immunity, genetic advances and good nutrition mean cattle are able to resist disease better, and in turn, reduce the need for antimicrobials.
“Benchmarking is also an important tool because farmers can look at how their herd compares to their neighbours’ herds and identify areas for improvement,” he added.