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

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with representatives of veterinary prescribers regarding the need to reduce antibiotic resistance in animals and the environment.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) regularly speaks to veterinary prescribers through antibiotic stewardship groups. These bring together government, veterinary profession and livestock sector representatives to support responsible use and reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These include:

· The Cattle Antibiotic Guardian Group

· Pig Health and Welfare Council Antimicrobial Usage (AMU) Subgroup

· British Poultry Council Stewardship Group

· Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance (RUMA) Companion Animal and Equine Group

· RUMA Targets Taskforce meetings

· Ruminant Antibiotic Stewardship Roadmap Steering Group

· Medicine Hub Industry Liaison Group

· The electronic Medicine Book (eMB) Pigs Steering Group

These discussions aim to:

· Share research, AMU, AMR, and disease surveillance data

· Promote responsible antibiotic prescribing, storage and disposal

· Encourage creation and uptake of training and guidance, including for vets and animal keepers

· Improve health and disease prevention through herd/flock health planning

· Advise on metrics for monitoring AMU

· Improve accuracy, availability, and coverage of AMU data in livestock, companion animals, and horses

· Encourage antibiotic use data for auditing and benchmarking

· Discuss environmental transmission pathways with veterinary prescribers, and the impact of these on their prescribing

By focusing on stewardship and responsible use of antibiotics in animals, the risk of AMR in animals, and potential subsequent onwards transmission through the environment is reduced.