The British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) has backed calls to reduce the amount of antibiotics used in cattle.
The BCVA has recommended a clampdown on the use of critically important antibiotics (CIAs) when treating cattle and for vets and farmers to avoid preventative use of antibiotics where possible.
Dr Elizabeth Berry from the BCVA said although the responsible use of antibiotics had been promoted for many years, there was still the potential to reduce use in some areas and move away from products which were important for human health.
“Work still needs to be done to establish the levels currently being used in cattle so that appropriate targets can be set but there are measures that can immediately be adopted,” she added.
“So we are recommending reducing both the overall amount of antibiotics used in cattle practice and minimising the use of the high priority CIA. These drugs should only be used where they have been demonstrated by sensitivity testing to be the only suitable choice to avoid unnecessary suffering.”
The stance from the BCVA comes in the wake of a drive by RUMA, which promotes responsible use of medicines in farming, to build on the recent 10% reduction in the use of antibiotics to treat farm animals.
The BCVA has more than 1,100 practising members covering around 85% of vets working with cattle in the UK.
