European countries have substantially reduced sales of veterinary antibiotics, which translates into a lower risk of bacteria becoming resistant in people and animals. Overall sales of veterinary antibiotics decreased by 53% between 2011 and 2022, reaching the lowest level ever reported, according to data from 25 countries. This is one of the key findings of the thirteenth annual report on the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC): 2009 – 2023.

During the same period, sales of antibiotic classes that are considered critically important in human medicine for veterinary use noticeably decreased: sales of third- and fourth- generation cephalosporins dropped by 49%, polymyxins by 81%, fluoroquinolones by 25% and sales of other quinolones dropped by 90%. While all antibiotics should be used prudently and responsibly to preserve their effectiveness, it is of particular importance for these antibiotics to mitigate the potential risk to public health, as…