The second EMA report on the European Sales and Use of Antimicrobials in veterinary medicine (ESUAvet) published this week signals a strong impetus from the animal sector to gain better understanding of where and how antibiotics are being used in Europe.

The shift from the former ESVAC reporting to this new framework offers a more granular level of data at species level. As stated in the report, this more structured approach to data collection aims to move beyond measuring general consumption trends to start exploring the differences in antibiotic use within and across species.

Although this report signals a 5.1% increase compared to 2023 in sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals, it is reassuring to see the majority of antibiotics used are falling within the priority categories* D (67.6%) and C (26.4%), those with the lowest risk to human health, which illustrates a good application of the EU rules. The drivers behind the increase is not indicated, but as the report states, the slight increase ‘may be influenced by factors such as availability of medicines (leading to stockpiling), disease outbreaks, changes in animal population’, etc.

A slightly larger decrease of 8.2% in sales was recorded for companion animals compares to 2023, however as companion animal use represents only 1.5% of the total sales this reduction has little impact on the total volumes reported. 

AnimalhealthEurope Director General Roxane Feller commented:

“Promoting Responsible Use of medicines in animals over the past twenty years have brought stakeholders together in countries across Europe – as demonstrated through the European Platform for Responsible Use of Medicines in Animals (EPRUMA) – to promote disease prevention and support sustainable reductions in the need to use antibiotics. The steep declines in sales that we have seen over the past decade that then level off to a consistent level may reflect a state of ‘optimal use’ where prevention is optimised, but antibiotics remain necessary for treatment of disease that evades a farm’s animal health and biosecurity measures. This serves as a reminder that not all illness can be prevented, and these medicines remain the only way to treat bacterial disease.

Sales data that was collected up to 2022 has served as a great source for measuring trends. Moving forward, the collection of use data will provide better insights into consumption patterns and can help guide more targeted interventions and advice as and when needed. We look forward to seeing further harmonisation in the collection of the “use” data and remain committed to promoting the longstanding objective that antibiotics should be used as little as possible, but as much as necessary.”

*EMA AMEG Categorisation of antibiotics in the European Union

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