Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to ban (a) the routine use of antibiotics and (b) all preventative use of antibiotics in groups of animals from January 2022 in line with Regulation (EU) 2019/6 and Regulation (EU) 2019/4.

The UK Government and Devolved Administrations are committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals, and this includes routine preventative use.

The UK played a significant role during the negotiations on EU Regulations 2019/4 (medicated feed) and 2019/6 (veterinary medicinal products) and many changes in the EU law on veterinary medicines and medicated feed are desirable from a UK policy perspective. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is currently in the process of amending and supplementing the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 as they have an effect in Great Britain. This involves consideration of provisions corresponding or similar to those in the EU regulations referred to, as proscribed in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021.

Any changes to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 will be subject to formal public consultation to allow stakeholders to give their views on the proposed changes.